NEWARK -- It has been said that the clock is ticking and the window may be closing on goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to win a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers.
But across the river in Newark, the clock continues to tick for Devils' goalie Cory Schneider as well.
For Schneider, 30, the first step is to see his team get into the playoffs. The Devils have missed all three seasons he's been in net. But there is also the question of whether the Devils can become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders while Schneider is still in his prime. He has six seasons remaining on his long-term contract that pays him $6 million per season.
"I haven't worried too much about that. I still have a lot of time here, hopefully, on my contract," Schneider told NJ Advance Media. "A lot can happen in a short amount of time. You look at some other teams, the foundation was laid a long time ago but they've turned into pretty good teams in a short amount of time. I think we have the principles in place. I think we have the structure and worth ethic, which is sometimes half the battle.
"You saw a few years ago that this team got into the playoffs pretty unheralded and we (before Schneider's arrival) were within two games of winning the Stanley Cup. I know that's not always the case, but it can happen.
"With this system and style we play, we're a tough team to play against. If we make some changes, stay healthy, whatever Ray (Shero) has in store for us, personally I believe he's going to do everything he can to get us to be a contender sooner than later. That's my belief. I'm not going to worry about myself over the team."
So how close are the Devils to being serious contenders?
"It's easy to say how close you think you are. At the end of the day it's just tough to make the playoffs because there are 14 teams right now who are saying, 'We're close.' Or saying how close they are and, 'We'll get in next year.' There are 16 teams that are not going to want to fall out of their playoff spots," Schneider said.
"I'm not sure how close we are. I think there are a lot of good things to build upon. Somebody told me we were top 10 in PK, power play and goals-against. If you look at most teams (with those stats), those are playoff teams. Those are good foundations to have, special teams and defense. I think that will win you a lot of games.
"I don't think we're too far, but we have a lot of work to do. We can't sit here and say we made a pretty good step this year and that's good enough. We have to go home this summer and rededicate ourselves to having that confidence that we're going to be a playoff team next year."
Captain Andy Greene, 33, believes the Devils aren't far away.
"I think we're close. I really do believe that," Greene said. "Obviously we had some ups and downs this year with injuries and whatnot. You can always play the 'what if' game if everyone stayed healthy. But that's part of the season. It was great to see in the last game a little bit of the future with Steve (Santini), Miles (Wood) and Pavel (Zacha). I know it's only one game but it was exciting to see how well they played."
The Devils finished 12th in the 16-team Eastern Conference. They were six points better than last season.
"I think we're headed in the right direction. We've taken some great strides this season. I'm excited for the future here," center Adam Henrique said. "Obviously it's another big summer for us, for this team and the organization. Scoring goals is an area we have to find a way to get better."
Reid Boucher agreed.
"We're not the most skilled group of guys in the league, but I think our work ethic is top notch," Boucher suggested. "I think we're pretty close."
Rich Chere may be reached at rchere@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ledger_NJDevils. Find NJ.com on Facebook