Let's just get our facts straight, shall we?
Forty two-year-old Martin Brodeur, probably the greatest goalie to ever play the game, is currently a free agent.
He said recently that he's not yet ready to retire and give up on his NHL career, according to a report from Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
New Jersey Devils head coach Peter DeBoer announced Wednesday via NJ.com that goaltender Cory Schneider would make his 17th straight start of the season Friday against the Washington Capitals.
Seventeen straight starts is a lot for any goalie, even one as talented and highly paid as Schneider.
Ok. So. Facts laid out.
Now comes the fun part.
Brodeur may be open to a return to the franchise that he called home for 21 NHL seasons, according to Eklund of Hockeybuzz.com. And the Devils may feel the same.
While it is known Marty wants to play with a possible contender and is willing to wait around for a few months the more people I talk to, the more I get the impression Brodeur hasn't at all shut the door on a return to the Devils. One source adding, "All it would take right now is an injury keeping Schneider out for a month or so to get Marty back."
But that's not all. Brodeur and Devils general manager, Lou Lamoriello, talk - a lot.
Another source adding, "Lou and Marty are in constant communication....if he isn't anywhere else come January he will likely be back in NJ.
That last part sounds pretty definitive.
Brodeur's desire to return to the league coupled with the Devils' apparent lack of trust in their back-up goaltenders - looking in your direction, Keith Kincaid - makes for a very intriguing scenario. Could Brodeur return home for one final run?
Yes, at this age, he'd prefer to go to a contender, as Eklund noted. But it's starting to seem as if, should the choice come down to playing for a mediocre team and not playing at all, Brodeur will choose in favor of playing - and it surely doesn't hurt the chances of that happening if the team he eventually signs on with is the same team he played for and won with for over a decade.
