A Devils goalie made an Olympic tryout roster, and it wasn’t Martin Brodeur.
For the first time since the Olympics started taking NHL players, Team Canada announced yesterday that Brodeur was not invited to tryouts. Ironically enough, Brodeur’s new backup, Cory Schneider, was invited to the USA camp.
The 41-year-old Brodeur is on the last year of his current contract and probably the final season of his Hall of Fame career, but general manager Lou Lamoriello looked to the future in trading for the 27-year-old Schneider on draft day in June. Schneider had been with the Canucks, as part of a goalie platoon with Roberto Luongo, who was also invited to Canada’s camp. Joining Luongo on the roster were netminders Corey Crawford, Carey Price, Braden Holtby and Mike Smith.
Since 1998, Brodeur had been a staple on Team Canada, participating in four straight Olympics. This year, the international tournament will take place in Sochi, Russia, for two weeks in the middle of February.
The Swedish team hadn’t been announced yet, but it’s almost assured Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist will be its starter, and Blueshirts forward Carl Hagelin will find a way onto the roster, as well. The Russian team invited Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov.
Included for the invites to the USA camp were Rangers Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh, along with Islanders forward Kyle Okposo. New York-area players invited to Canada’s camp were Rangers Marc Staal and Rick Nash and Islanders John Tavares and Travis Hamonic.
No Devils were invited to the Canadian or USA tryouts, yet defenseman Anton Volchenkov was invited by the Russian team. He will join former Devil Ilya Kovalchuk, who will play for his home country after his early retirement from the NHL.
* New Rangers coach Alain Vigneault is expected to flush out his coaching staff soon when Dan Lacroix is announced as the final assistant. Lacroix spent the past three seasons as an assistant with the Lightning, and will join Ulf Samuelsson and Scott Arniel on Vigneault’s staff.
Lacroix, 44, spent three season from 2006-09 as an assistant with the Islanders, and also has four years of coaching experience in the QMJHL — one year as a head coach — and one season (2009-10) as an AHL assistant.
As a player, Lacroix was drafted 31st overall by the Rangers in 1987, and played parts of three seasons with the Blueshirts. He finished his NHL career with 188 games and 379 penalty minutes.
Samuelsson, a former Rangers defenseman, will be in charge of the blue line, while Arniel, the former head coach of the Blue Jackets, will focus on the offense. Lacroix’s role as of yet is undefined.
Vigneault is in his first season after taking over for the fired John Tortorella, who in turn took Vigneault’s job in Vancouver.
* Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello told The Post yesterday “nothing is official” concerning the signing of veteran forward Jaromir Jagr. It was reported by ESPN that Jagr had signed a one-year deal with the Devils, but Lamoriello called that “all rumors.”
“We will continue to add and subtract players,” Lamoriello said, “to try and get better.”