Devils' Schneider hopes to win Cup with team despite rebuild

The New Jersey Devils may be tearing it down, but to goaltender Cory Schneider that doesn't mean the team can't be a Cup contender in a few years.

"I'm really excited to step up here. We're in transition somewhat, but (I'll) hopefully be a calming presence and a veteran presence, even though I feel I'm a young 29," Schneider told TSN 1040. "I hope to put my mark on a franchise and organization and hopefully carry them to a Stanley Cup one day."

Schneider is coming off his first season as a starter in the league and though he embraces the opportunity, he admits he wishes the chance would have come sooner.

"It took a little longer for me to get to where I needed to be. In a perfect world I would have loved to be in this situation maybe two or three years ago," Schneider said. "Sometimes that's how the game works.

"Things happen for a reason. I gained a tremendous amount of experience both here and in Vancouver. I might be 29 instead of 27, but I'm really grateful to have the opportunity at all. A lot of guys go through their whole career, do the right things and never get the chance."

-With h/t to NJ.com