Keith Kinkaid admits he was a little confused when the Devils traded for Vancouver goalie Cory Schneider. Even Schneider was a bit shocked when the Canucks opted to keep aging goaltender Roberto Luongo and his hefty contract and trade the younger net minder with more potential.
Then Kinkaid realized it could only help the organization. As legendary goalie Martin Brodeur nears his retirement, which could come any season now, the organization was looking for a proven player between the pipes. Kinkaid is good, but he’s still a prospect and a step behind Schneider.
“I understand what they did, and it’s going to help the organization tremendously,” he told The Albany Times Union. “That puts us in the same spot. I’m still fighting for the top spot in Albany.”
Kinkaid is one of three goalies aiming for playing time in Albany, a place the Sachem East alum has called home the last two seasons. He made his NHL debut last season in a mid-season call up when Brodeur was out with an injury. He was 21-17-6 with a 2.72 goals against average with the Albany Devils in 45 games.
“I still haven’t had the year I’ve wanted to down there,” Kinkaid said. “I want to go to the playoffs. That’s the best time of the year. I’m just going to keep working at it, try to pad my stats a little bit, and go out after it and get us some wins.”
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro