Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Justin Schultz from Oilers
On Saturday evening the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Justin Schultz from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a third-round draft pick.
After days of rumblings about the Edmonton Oilers trading defenseman Justin Schultz, they finally made a move, sending him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for a 2016 third-round draft pick.
It was commonly accepted knowledge that the Penguins were trying to pick up a defenseman by the deadline. Many had reported that the Pens, along with the Boston Bruins, were frontrunners to get Kris Russell from the Calgary Flames.
Instead, the Penguins looked to the other Albertan team. Even with rookie phenom Connor McDavid, the Oilers are scraping the bottom of the standings and have no chance to make the playoffs – putting them in a position to sell.
Schultz, 25, is in his fourth NHL season after spending three years playing for the University of Wisconsin. He was originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks, but when they could not come to terms on a contract he signed as a free agent with the Oilers.
Schultz fits in well with the offensively-minded defense in Pittsburgh. He scored 8 goals and 27 points total in his first NHL season; now, he has 28 goals and 101 points total in 248 games. For a defenseman – especially one from the Edmonton Oilers – that’s not bad production.
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford addressed the trade, saying, “we were trying to add some depth to our defense and we were very pleased to add him.”
More from Penguins News
- Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller
- Penguins Waddle Toward The Season
- Farewell Carl Hagelin
- Penguins Line-up Breakdown vs Stanley Cup Champs Vegas
- Ryan Graves Solid Signing For The Pittsburgh Penguins
The Oilers are retaining half of the defenseman’s salary. Schultz was impressive during his college days and especially at the start of his professional career in the AHL with the Oklahoma City Barons, but in recent years both his offensive play and defensive skills have dropped off.
Hopefully, he’ll be able to fit into the Penguins’ system effectively and see those numbers rise again with a strong supporting cast.
Rutherford has said the Penguins are probably not done making moves before the trade deadline, which is Monday, February 29, at 3 pm Eastern time.
After reports surfaced that Sergei Plotnikov requested to return to Russia and play in the KHL this season, his name has been tossed around as trade bait. While making him someone else’s problem would be a nice solution, his contract expires at the end of the season and he hasn’t been in the lineup for months. That doesn’t exactly make him the most tantalizing acquisition, but if another team saw potential in him the Pens could surely get a draft pick in return.
Also, with the recall of Matt Murray from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, look for backup goalie Jeff Zatkoff to be on the trading block. The San Jose Sharks were rumored to have interest in him, but after they traded for James Reimer yesterday the Pens may need to look for a new destination to send Zatkoff to.