Free-agent goaltender Martin Brodeur has picked up all of his 688-career wins as a member of the New Jersey Devils, but where and when he collects win No. 689 is unknown as the netminder continues to search for the "right fit" through free agency.
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The Devils have seemingly shut the door on Brodeur by bringing in Scott Clemmensen to compete with rookie Keith Kinkaid as the backup to No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider.
The Devils traded for Schneider during the 2013 NHL Draft, and in his inaugural season with the franchise, he began to take away from Brodeur's playing time.
Brodeur, 42, has played for New Jersey throughout his entire career, and he is in no rush to sign with a new team as he continues to weigh his options.
"I'm still looking for the right fit, and the right fit might not come this summer, it might come later on in the fall," Brodeur told Yahoo Sports. "I'm pretty open-minded. Regardless of what happens, if I play or don't play, I'm ready for anything. I'm looking forward to a new challenge, regardless if it's outside of hockey or still in hockey with a different organization."
There are some No. 1 goaltender vacancies throughout the NHL, and Brodeur would like to play for a contender but also wants playing time after being limited to just 39 games last season in New Jersey.
"If I'm going to not play with a contender, then definitely I'd like to play a lot," Brodeur said. "I'm really open-minded about the situation I'm looking for, but it's pretty specific, and me and my agent [Pat Brisson] are kind of looking at different options."
While Brodeur will likely leave the Devils sometime before the 2014-15 season concludes, he has left open the possibility of returning to New Jersey in a front office role down the line.
"It's more in the office kind of job," Brodeur said. "I've been doing this, the day-to-day operation as far as playing the game, for a long time, and I don't know if I want to get back in coaching. Everybody knows that coaching is probably harder than player [because it's] time-consuming."
He added: "It will be something a little different than coaching; but again, I don't close any doors on anything that [general manager Lou Lamoriello] would approach me [with] in the future."
Brodeur, whose three sons Anthony Brodeur, Jeremy Brodeur and William Brodeur are partaking in Devils development camp this month, has intimated that this season will be his last in the NHL.
Brodeur backstopped the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, but the team has failed to make the playoffs in the following two seasons as a wave of change has gone through the franchise. The three-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender went 19-14-6 with a .901 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average last season.
Brodeur is the NHL's all-time leader in regular season wins (688), regular season shutouts (124) and playoff shutouts (24) and holds various NHL records and Devils franchise marks.
In his career, Brodeur is 688-394-154 with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage -- all in the Devils crease, but next season he will likely be between the pipes for whichever team he deems as the "right fit."
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