The New Jersey Devils spent years trying to figure out the goalie position. They thought they had their long-term guy to replace Martin Brodeur after trading for Cory Schneider. That worked for a few years, but the Devils were rebuilding. He probably hurt their chances at top talent more than he helped their place in the standings, but it was important to know when they were ready to win; they had their guy.
Unfortunately, Schneider’s hip failed him when the Devils were ready to win, and it led to a crazy list of options that never worked for more than a year.