Will, no. Will, why? Will...you please choose your words more carefully?!? I got to say, the soft spoken twenty-three year old defenseman really Butcher'd that response, as I didn't expect him to be the first person to publicly make mention of what's proving, in all the best ways, to be an inevitable goaltending controversy. I was quite enjoying watching Keith Kinkaid pick up where he left off at the end last season in not-so-quietly taking command of the crease while Cory Schneider was still physically exempt from competing for it. A fanbase that, like most, loves bickering on behalf of the back-up was eventually going to have its panties bunched by the return of a player who is, at least theoretically, superior in skill and inferior in availability. Amongst fans that have absolutely been made spoiled by two decades of the type of dominant goaltending that gets immortalized in bronze in the middle of their route to the arena, nothing has proven more polarizing than who is between the pipes as of late. That's totally fair, as Cory Schneider's brilliant relief performance in the postseason was largely a standalone success during a season that was as discouraging as his team's was encouraging. Going under the knife at the end of it certainly hasn't comforted anyone's concerns about a foreseeable future in which he's still bound by contact, but I was really, really hoping to put off the circular debate revolving around what they should do with someone who could range almost anywhere between a top 5 goalie and a bottom 5 goalie in the league when healthy as long as humanly possible. To be fair, Will Butcher is absolutely right in his assessment that Keith Kinkaid has primarily served as a consistently improving last line of defense during a majority of his most memorable moments throughout the past year and change, but he's oh-so-wrong in his timing of a statement that might as well serve as a quick fix to a fanbase that's currently going through worry withdrawals after a 3-0 start. The optimism surrounding this team, as currently constructed, is palpable and the only thing that could ruin it is rehashing a redundant argument about a question that will, sooner or later, get answered on the ice anyway. Given his early season excellence, it's definitely Keith Kinkaid's net until his play proves otherwise. I'm certain that everyone in that locker room understands that, which is really all that matters. Still, just about the last thing Devils' fans need offered to them is an avenue to discredit someone like Cory Schneider, who is probably not going anywhere anytime soon after gracefully spending far too much time as the lone bright spot on the bleakest of rosters.
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