Former Metropolitan division veteran with 700 games leaves the NHL to pursue a career in Europe
The NHL is tough nowadays, as some veterans are finding themselves and their roles dwindling in the league. This comes with the territory of aging, as GMs are trying to keep rosters young, flush, and underneath the salary cap, but this isn't always true of the Vegas Golden Knights.
But one NHL veteran who has won a Stanley Cup, and played 700 NHL games in his career has made a tough decision.
Justin Schultz who was recently playing in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken, has found himself pushed out of the Kraken lineup this season. With the acquisition of Brandon Montour, the Kraken have arguably upgraded at the defense position and Schultz hasn't seen the ice this season.
So he's taking his talent to Switzerland as he's signed with HC Lugano for one year and despite his successes in the NHL, he's had to sign overseas.
With limitations always occurring in the NHL, with age being a signifier for some players, it seems he may have succumbed to that statistic.
Schultz has spent the last two years in the NHL with the Kraken and signed a $6 Million deal with Seattle and his contract expired at the end of the 2024 season.
The defenseman is known primarily for his offensive style of play but was unable to secure a spot in the top-four for the Kraken and has suffered from his lack of meaningful production, in the playoffs has hurt him.
Schultz was a 2nd round pick of the Anaheim Ducks but wouldn't sign an ELC with the team instead opting to continue his NCAA career with the University of Wisconsin. In 2012 he signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers and would play all 48 games, during the shortened lockout season.
Despite being a consistent offensive producer, his defensive weakness would show with a combined rating of -78 over 248 games with the Oilers.
It exposed him as a defensive liability and a one-dimensional style of player.
Schultz would experience a significant change of fortune when he arrived in Pittsburgh in 2015. He'd score a career-high of 51 points( 12 G, 39 A) in 2016, and would come away with two-Stanley Cups while proving a great fill-in while Kris Letang was out of commission.
He'd never prove himself to do better than those years, as he even earned enough Norris Trophy votes to come 10th in voting in 2016-2017.
It is regrettable that Schultz wasn't able to carve out a larger role with the Kraken, but it's likely the end of his time in North America.
His NHL career saw him play 745 games and score 324 points( 71 G, 253 A), two Stanley Cups, and 81 games in the NHL playoffs with 42 points( 10 G, 32 A), this ends 13 years in the NHL.
The last stage of his professional career will see him join Carl Dahlstrom and Mirco Muller in HC Lugano. He'll bring a winning attitude and reputation with him to Switzerland.
