In what many are calling a shocking move, the Vancouver Canucks traded goaltender Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the ninth overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft Saturday.

The team then used the Devils’ pick to select Centre Bo Horvat from the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the surprising trade just before the New Jersey Devils were set to announce their first pick in the draft.

“As you know we explore every option we possibly could,” Canucks GM Mike Gillis told TSN’s James Duthie after making the move. “We felt strongly enough to make this move to get a great young player like Bo.”

Gillis said the team wanted to move into the top 10 picks to select a players of Horvat’s caliber. “We haven’t drafted in this spot in my entire tenure in Vancouver,” he said.

The move means that the team’s seemingly endless goaltender ordeal is over, and Roberto Luongo is now cemented as the team’s starter.

“Roberto has been excellent throughout this entire ordeal, and a lot of people like to forget it became awfully complicated with the lockout and the new CBA,” Gillis said. “We have every bit of confidence in him.”

Horvat was surprised at the move, but said he was looking forward to proving himself with the team.

“I wasn’t expecting it but anything can happen in the draft,” he said shortly after being selected. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen but when they said my name I was in shock.”

At 27-years-old and a manageable cap hit of US$4 million over the next two seasons, Schneider never seemed to be the logical choice for the Canucks if they were to trade a goalie.

Luongo is 34 and is set to count $5.3 million on a deal that pays him $40.57 million over the next nine years.

It was well-known that the Canucks were trying to trade Luongo, but Schneider's contract was likely more attractive to other teams.

Earlier in the day, Gillis said he wasn't surprised Schneider was a subject of talks. "Never say never" was his reply when one reporter suggested that Schneider wouldn't be going anywhere.

The Canucks had reportedly entertained a better offer from the Edmonton Oilers for Schnieder but passed because they didn't want to trade the elite netminder to a team within their division, leaving some questioning whether Gillis could have gotten more from a trade with their Canadian rivals.

With files from The Canadian Press