Canucks send Cory Schneider to Devils for No. 9 pick in NHL draft

The long-running goaltending saga in Vancouver came to a merciful, if not stunning, finish Sunday at the NHL’s Entry Draft in Newark, N.J.

It had looked as though goalie Roberto Luongo and his onerous contract would be moved out of Vancouver. Instead it was the younger and less expensive Cory Schneider going from the Canucks to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the No. 9 pick.

With that selection, the Canucks took forward Bo Horvat of the London Knights.

So instead of succeeding Luongo in Vancouver, Schneider will be doing that with New Jersey incumbent Martin Brodeur, who turned 41 in May.

Vancouver GM Mike Gillis said on TSN, a Canadian cable network, that this was the first time he had had this high of a draft choice in his tenure with the Canucks and that the team had explored various options during the goalie saga.

Was Luongo already prepared to move out of town?

“Perhaps ... but Roberto has been excellent throughout this entire ordeal,” Gillis said on TSN.

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