Oilers Sign Justin Schultz

Just in from the Oilers official twitter account, the team has agreed to a contract with it’s final remaining free agent, RFA defender Justin Schultz. The deal will, not surprisingly, be a bridge contract for the young defender and the club.

The Details:

It’s a one year deal for Schultz, that will pay him $3.675 M over the course of the season. The deal presents a cap hit that closely resembles the bonus filled entry-level contract that Schultz signed with the team as a UFA back in July of 2012.

Schultz will again be a restricted free agent next summer, setting up another negotiation between the sides, although something tells me that those negotiations will be more geared towards a long-term pact between the sides.

My Two Cents:

Love the fact that it is a bridge deal between the sides. Schultz has proven that he is a solid player on the attack, but hasn’t proven anything defensively, in fact he’s been nothing but inconsistent. He’s a guy that has struggled with defensive assignments and judging when to jump in on the attack and when to sit back. He’s also struggled with getting his body between the opponent and the net, and overall has not impressed me as a defender.

That said, he’s shown some really solid things from time to time, and certainly can play in this league. He struggles with defensive fundamentals, and while some of that is on him, some of that is on the coaches that are supposed to be helping him adapt to the NHL game. This is an area where new assistant Craig Ramsay could have a huge impact this season.

Of course, offensively Schultz is money. He’s a good passer, has a killer wrist shot, and has great offensive instincts. He can easily score 40 points in a season in the NHL, and that has value.

The money is a little much for me, mainly for the reasons above. While Schultz puts up points, he’s inconsistent in his own end and far too often makes mistakes that lead to goals against. Right now, I’m more comfortable with him playing a friendly zone start role on the third pairing and learning the defensive side of things. You don’t pay that player north of three million dollars, you just don’t.

It’s only one year, so I can live with the dollar amount, but I think it could hurt negotiations next off-season when talking long-term, as Schultz will be asking for AT LEAST $4 M per on that kind of deal.

The bridge deal is good in one sense however, it buys time. The Oilers know they have a talented player here on the attack, but have no clue what they have defensively. This gives them another season, one under improved coaching and with a better team around him, to learn more about Schultz and see how he handles the defensive game.

Is the money a little too much? Yes, but a bridge deal is a smart move by the Oilers. It’ll be interesting to see how Schultz performs with a potential big money deal waiting in the wings for him next summer.

The Oilers, unless a trade or signing surprisingly comes up, are likely done with off-season moves. Youngstars tournament, you’re up!