Half a dozen teams have expressed a level of interest in Martin Brodeur, agent Pat Brisson told ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.
Brodeur, 42, announced two weeks ago he’d be testing free agency and potentially moving on from New Jersey, the first and only team he’s ever played for during his Hall of Fame career.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m definitely going to be available July 1,” Brodeur told ESPN.com on June 6. “I want to play one more season and I want to see what’s out there.”
The news came on the same day New Jersey’s other goalie, Cory Schneider, said he wanted assurances he’d be the clear-cut No. 1 for the Devils after splitting games with Brodeur this year. Brodeur acknowledged part of his reason for heading to free agency was to ease the transition for Schneider to become the No. 1, and it’s worth noting Schneider holds some leverage, given he’s an unrestricted free agent following this season.
“It’s a discussion about if they want me to be the guy going forward, we have to figure out that part of it,” Schneider said, per the Star-Ledger. “I’m probably 50 or 75 games short of where I would have liked to be as far as career games-played. That’s a result of splitting the time in goal in Vancouver as well as last year.
“I was hoping to step into that (No. 1 role) maybe a little earlier.”
As mentioned above, Brodeur’s spent his entire 23-year career with the Devils, winning three Stanley Cups and four Vezina Trophies. He’s also the NHL’s all-time leader in games played, wins and shutouts.
It’s unclear what six teams are in the mix right now but, per LeBrun, the number of interested suitors is expected to grow after the dust settles on this weekend’s draft in Philly.