The goalie was once described by a reporter as "the reason Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello sleeps peacefully at night." No matter what happened to his club during the season, as long as Brodeur was guarding the net Lamoriello knew his team was a playoff contender. Players have come and gone for the Devils over the past 15 years, but the one constant was Brodeur — their dependable, award-winning workhorse.

But the Devils scouting and player development system failed to draft and develop a potential successor for the 36-year-old Brodeur. It was never something that was considered a significant problem — until now.

Losing their future Hall of Fame goalie, who this season was gunning to eclipse both Patrick Roy's career wins record and Terry Sawchuk's career shutouts record, is a serious blow for the Devils and threatens to derail their playoff hopes.

The backup

Lamoriello now faces two choices: stick with backup Kevin Weekes or shop around for a potential short-term replacement.

Weekes, 33, has appeared in two games this season, with a 0-1-0 record, a 2.00 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.