After last Friday's move by the Devils to buy out his final two seasons of a seven-year contract worth $42 million, goaltender Corey Schneider did not need long to find another team.

According to a report Monday by The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, the Islanders are finalizing a one-year deal with Schneider.

Two days later, The Athletic's Corey Masisak caught up with Schneider, 34, who opened up on a whirlwind but brief stint as an unrestricted free agent.

"You've got to make a decision and I'm just thankful that there are people out there who believe me and still want me to play and think I can play," said Schneider, who first crossed paths with Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello in New Jersey as a former Devils executive from 1987-15. "That means a lot, and it's part of the reason why obviously the Islanders were desirable. I know everybody in the organization and they know me.

"I think having that belief is a lot better than a team saying, 'Yeah, we'll take a flyer on you and maybe you can, maybe you can't.' That's not a good feeling. So for the Islanders to come in and say, 'You're the guy we want and, however it works out, we want you here.' That means a lot."

Schneider went 3-6-2 in 13 games (11 starts) during the 2019-20 season, a seventh (2013-20) with New Jersey. On 355 attempts, he gave up 40 goals and made 315 saves in his 679 minutes of action, including one shutout.

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