Canucks trade goalie Cory Schneider to Devils for No. 9 overall pick

Goalie Cory Schneider went 17-9 last season after taking over as the Canucks' starter. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Update: 4:05 p.m., June 30

The Vancouver Canucks traded goalie Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils for the No. 9 overall pick in Sunday's NHL Draft.

Vancouver selected Bo Horvat, an 18-year-old center from London, Ontario, with the pick.

The move came as a shocker, as few expected the Canucks to hand the starting goalie job back to veteran Roberto Luongo, and the crowd at the Prudential Center erupted when it was announced.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/351430665109127169

Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg split time in net last season for the Devils, who missed the playoffs following a Stanley Cup run in 2012. Brodeur went 13-9 with a 2.22 goals against average, while Hedberg went 6-10 with a 2.76 GAA.

Schneider has two years and $8.5 million left on his contract.

Original: June 29, 4:27 p.m.

If the Vancouver Canucks are unsuccessful in attempting to trade goalie Roberto Luongo, they could shift their focus to dealing starter Cory Schneider, according to The Province's Ben Kuzma.

Vancouver GM Mike Gillis continues to talk to four or five teams about Luongo, who has nine years and $40.5 million left on his contract at 34 years old.

Though it may be nothing more than "kicking the tires," the Canucks could receive a first-round pick in Sunday's draft and a prospect for Schneider, with the Oilers rumored to be interested, according to the report.

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From the report:

At the trade deadline, the Canucks wanted two second-round picks and back-up goalie Ben Scrivens from Toronto but the Maple Leafs wouldn’t budge. Two years ago, there was considerable interest in Schneider from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets. With the league’s cap ceiling now $64.3 million, Schneider has two years left on his contract at an attractive $4 million salary cap hit.

Earlier this week, Gillis was somewhat confident that Luongo could be moved as opposed to waivers or a costly compliance buyout option.“I remain optimistic,” he said. “We’ve been talking to teams like we have for a long time. At the draft, I’m not sure what’s going to happen but we will continue to have discussions with a group of teams and we’ll see how it works out."

Schneider, 27, went 17-9 with a 2.11 goals against average and .927 save percentage last season -- his first taking over as the team's primary goalie -- compared to Luongo's 9-6 record with a 2.56 GAA and .907 save percentage.