Chris Johnston, Edmonton Journal --- Justin Schultz was able to pass the baton off to Zach Parise.
After being courted by NHL teams at the Newport Sports offices in suburban Toronto for much of the week, Schultz agreed to terms with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon. The first big free-agent decision of the summer came several hours before the floodgates were set to officially open at noon ET Sunday and left Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini in a celebratory mood.
"What a way to start the free-agent period," Tambellini told reporters in Edmonton.
It gave Schultz plenty of time to clear out of Don Meehan's high-powered agency before Parise's expected arrival on Sunday. The former University of Wisconsin defenceman took advantage of a loophole in the collective bargaining agreement to become a free agent and garnered plenty of interest.
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| Getty Images |
Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun - Canuck general manager Mike Gillis and assistant Laurence Gilman are in Toronto and it's not to chat with Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke about a Roberto Luongo trade.While I follow and write about UND hockey, Justin Schultz is one of my favorite opposition players. In my opinion, Schultz is "one" of the best players that I have ever watched play the college game at the defense position.
Gillis and Gilman instead headed east in the hope of meeting with hockey's hottest free agent not named Zach Parise or Ryan Suter.
The Canucks are one of a reported 26 NHL teams said to be pursuing collegiate defenceman Justin Schultz, who just completed his junior year at the University of Wisconsin.
This is one free-agent negotiation that won't be all about the money. Everyone is prepared to offer Schultz, a soon to be 22-year-old Kelowna native, the maximum $925,000 a year, two-year entry level contract (plus bonuses) to which he is entitled under the current collective bargaining agreement.
What Schultz is said to want is ice time and there have been suggestions that he also has a preference to play in Canada.
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| CBS Boston |
Redwings Front–Defenseman Justin Schultz hasn’t played a game in the National Hockey League, but that’s not stopping the Wings from all but guaranteeing the soon-to-be free agent a spot on their roster.If Schultz goes to the Detroit Redwings he would be one of the few players names that we can pronounce and or spell correctly.
“He’s close to being an NHL defenseman,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “He’s a young player. We’re prepared to give him the opportunity to be on our team.”
Schultz, who turns 22 on July 6 and played three seasons at Wisconsin, was drafted by Anaheim in 2008 prior to starting college, 43rd overall, but couldn’t reach a deal with the Ducks, who had until Sunday before he could begin talks on a contract with any other team.
And the Wings seem prepared to get a deal done.
Doug Harrison, CBC Sports --- [Justin] Schultz, 21, and his representative, Newport Sports Management in Toronto, found a loophole in the soon-to-be-expired collective bargaining agreement that allows the player to test free agency because he played an extra year of major junior hockey in British Columbia Hockey League before attending the University of Wisconsin.So if you’re an NHL hockey fan where would you like to see Justin Schultz land? If I was a betting man – I would say that Schultz is going to end up with the New York Rangers or the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Schultz is considered an elite offensive defenceman who many observers believe could step into the NHL next season as a top-four blue-liner. He reportedly will be in Toronto on Tuesday and can begin to field offers Wednesday.
“The competition for Schultz will be every bit as intense as the competition for [unrestricted free agents Ryan] Suter and [Zach] Parise,” former NHL forward-turned broadcaster Ray Ferraro told a Canadian sports radio station recently.
Schultz is a six-foot-two, 185-pound right-handed shooting defenceman fresh off a strong season with the U. of Wisconsin Badgers in which he scored 16 goals and 44 points in 37 games. In three seasons, he has posted 40 goals and 73 assists for 113 points in 121 contests.
It’s been said the native of West Kelowna, B.C., would like to play closer to home or with former Wisconsin teammates. He reportedly also wants guaranteed playing time on a NHL roster.
That would put the Maple Leafs in the running as Toronto rearguard Jake Gardiner, acquired from Anaheim along with forward Joffrey Lupul for defenceman Francois Beauchemin in February 2011, was Schultz’s defence partner at Wisconsin.
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| Goalie Tim Thomas, NHL Hockey player for the Boston Bruins (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Tim Thomas' OptionsThe Justin Schultz sweep stakes are a month away, it will be interesting to see where the highly sought after offensive defenseman goes.
LeBrun: We know the Boston Bruins may potentially try and trade goaltender Tim Thomas when his no-trade clause evaporates on July 1 but among the other options I'm told Tim Thomas is considering is maybe not playing next season. I'm not saying that's going to happen for sure but I was told today that he's thinking about maybe taking the year off. It's been a stressful year for the 38-year-old, we all know about the White House controversy, and the Bruins have a #1 goalie-in-waiting in Tuukka Rask. [TSN.CA]
Dealing With Schultz
McKenzie: It's going to be very difficult for Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray to make a deal involving defensive prospect Justin Schultz. He's certainly out there trying to make it happen and there's lots of teams interested. Every NHL team will want this guy when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, which is likely to happen before July 1 but I can see the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers among others being extremely interested. But it's going to be tough for Murray to get anything for Schultz. It looks like he's going to unrestricted free agency.
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| Badgers Herald.com |
Larry Brooks, New York Post --- Ryan McDonagh told Slap Shots he spoke a couple of weeks ago to one-time Wisconsin teammate Justin Schultz, the junior defenseman selected 43rd overall by the Ducks in 2008 who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he so chooses.Edit: I guess we can always dream right, Badgers guru Chuck Schwartz assures me that Schultz is not coming back and that he will might pursue the Blake Wheeler option.
“But he was smart enough not to tip his hand to me,” said McDonagh, who raved about the 21-year-old’s skating ability and skill, likening Schultz to Toronto’s Jake Gardiner.
Schultz cannot be signed until July 1, but he can become a free agent and start the negotiating process by mid-June — it’s the Blake Wheeler model — after giving notice to Anaheim.
There has been some speculation the defenseman might opt to return to the Badgers for his senior season because of the possibility of a lockout that would necessarily mean a start to his pro career in the AHL, but it’s expected he will indeed hit the open market after deciding not to sign with the Ducks last month, when doing so would have burned the first year of his Entry Level Contract.
Mike Sielski, Wall Street Journal --- As the NCAA's statistical outlier at his position, Schultz has the potential to develop into a creature that's been all but extinct from the NHL for two decades: the dominant offensive defenseman.
In the 20 years since the New York Rangers' Brian Leetch finished the 1991-92 season with 102 points, no NHL defenseman has topped the century mark. Only one, Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom, has reached 80 in the last 15 years. And given the manner in which the sport has evolved, it's an open question whether a player of Schultz's skills and pedigree will ever approach 100 points again.
