Schultz Saga Comes to Conclusion

The writing has been on the wall since the end of the Wisconsin men’s hockey season.

Though it was far from a done deal at the time, it appeared likely that two-time Hobey Baker finalist, defenseman, Justin Schultz was going to leave Madison a year early to pursue his professional career.

The Schultz saga came to on official conclusion Sunday when the defenseman from Kelowna, British Columbia inked his deal with the Edmonton Oilers. The two-year, entry level deal, will be worth $925,000 per year. Schultz also received a $92,500 signing bonus.

Edmonton’s pitch reportedly included the promise of immediate playing time and phone calls from Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzke.

At the press conference on Saturday to announce his signing Schultz gave his thinking on making the choice to join Edmonton. “A little overwhelming at times. I didn’t expect to get this much attention,” said Schultz. “I think Edmonton was always in the back of my mind with all the young talent they have here.”

Schultz will be a major piece to the puzzle for a franchise that is looking to put some troubled years behind it.

“I made it very clear…. that [guaranteed ice time] was never, ever the case. I know I have to earn my ice time,” he said.

The Oilers racked up just 32 wins a season ago, a mark that was third worst in the NHL. In a league where over half of all teams qualify for the playoffs, Edmonton has not been among them since the 2007-08 season when they made the Stanley Cup Finals as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Though the Oilers have assembled a promising group of young forwards, there is no denying that they will need some help on the back end. In terms of plus-minus, Edmonton’s nine defensemen were a combined minus 37. Only two defensemen, Ladislav Smid and Andy Sutton, were in the positive.

There is a chance that Schultz will be afforded the opportunity to work with one of the better power play units in the league. As much as the Oilers struggled last season, special teams were a bright spot. Edmonton converted 20 percent of its power plays which made them the third best unit in the NHL.

During his three years in cardinal and white, Schultz made a historic impact. He was two-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and the first UW defenseman ever to lead a team in scoring.