Player Discussion Justin Schultz

[harpoon]

why, just why?

C'mon man where's your sense of humor? BBO gets it, and he loves Ference.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

What Schultz needs to do is go out and march in a parade or two. Maybe dish out some soup for the under-privileged. Few hospital visits.
Throw in some timely tweets about Mother Earth. Then he can play as bad as he wants and everybody will love him.

We call that that strategy the Horc or the Ference most recently.

He looks and plays like he doesn't care at all. He had a pretty decent rookie season and then fell off a cliff, maybe Eakins got to him.

But there was always talk that he only chose the Oilers so he could step into the NHL right away and make money. And the most emotion or care we've seen out of him in his three years was when he scored a meaningless goal in the finale of the lockout season. The speculation on here was he hit some kind of bonus. Watch:

[nhl]431229[/nhl]

Paid almost $8M the past two seasons for playing horrendous hockey, and now he's set up where he won't make less than $3.9M next season unless whatever team he's on in June decides not to qualify him, at which point he'll get to choose any team in the league. No wonder he doesn't care.

I wiped this moment from my memory, but this always rubbed me the wrong way and i could never pin point why they were so happy at that point in the game and season. Knowing about the bonus situation makes a lot of sense. Shows all you need to know about his character. I have never seen him show that amount of passion when he or the team scores since or even during more important games.

 

[shoop]

What Schultz needs to do is go out and march in a parade or two. Maybe dish out some soup for the under-privileged. Few hospital visits.
Throw in some timely tweets about Mother Earth. Then he can play as bad as he wants and everybody will love him.

Then he would be considered such a great human being people would argue he should have a job for life in the organization regardless of his lack of skill. Many of those same people would then complain about a decade out of the playoffs and what a nightmare the remaining elements of the OBC are.

Say what you will about Willis but he summed up Jultz perfectly in his column today.

It appears that his time with the Oilers will come to an end in the near future, and before that happens there’s something that should be cleared up.

Schultz has never been a good defenceman for the Oilers.

 

[nabob]

What Schultz needs to do is go out and march in a parade or two. Maybe dish out some soup for the under-privileged. Few hospital visits.
Throw in some timely tweets about Mother Earth. Then he can play as bad as he wants and everybody will love him.

If he did that while suffering a career ending injury I could learn to not hate him.

 

[Jet Walters]

If he did that while suffering a career ending injury I could learn to not hate him.

Pretty sure an injury wont be required to end his career. His play will see to that.

 

[Aceboogie]

Cut ties all together and move on. Waive him and play him in AHL (he was a stud in AHL, maybe hell give a big boost that the Condors), or get picked up off waivers

Unfair to him to keep him around and to the Oilers to have to subject him to his atrocious play

 

[Mr Positive]

no one believed we could get anything for Horc, but we traded him for a decent return and no retention even, and Horc was on a worse contract.

He played well last game. If we keep playing him and he can play roughly that well then we can trade him and even get a decent pick. I don't know what kind of pick, but that depends on who else is for sale and how many buyers there will be.

 

[backhandsauce]

I'd rather Ference or Nikitin play ahead of Schultz

 

[FiveFourteenSixOne]

I'd rather Ference or Nikitin play ahead of Schultz

Me too. At least they want to be on the ice, unlike Jultz.

 

[McWeber]

I'd rather Ference or Nikitin play ahead of Schultz

I think this is pushing it a bit. Schultz is lazy and painful to watch but he is atleast capable of being an NHL defender. Nikitin and Ference are both done and were total detriments to the team when they were on the ice.

 

[Pressure]

I think this is pushing it a bit. Schultz is lazy and painful to watch but he is atleast capable of being an NHL defender. Nikitin and Ference are both done and were total detriments to the team when they were on the ice.

Jesus man do you even watch the Oilers. Jultz IS a detriment to the team and he's better in the AHL.

 

[guymez]

I think this is pushing it a bit. Schultz is lazy and painful to watch but he is atleast capable of being an NHL defender. Nikitin and Ference are both done and were total detriments to the team when they were on the ice.

Indeed.

I am by no means a Schultz fan but in terms of positives a couple of things are clear...he is a very good skater and he has good offensive instincts for a dman.

Unusual for me to go against the board hive mind on a player but I think Schultz is suffering big time from destroyed confidence.

He just doesnt trust his game anymore. He clearly needs a change of scenery and I think if he can find a team that has more defensive depth then the Oilers do (that shouldnt be too hard) he can possibly be a decent bottom pairing offensive dman.

 

[shoop]

He should probably consider putting some away for a rainy day, because his NHL career might not be as long and successful as he originally envisioned.

Jultz might get a $1M 1 year deal from somebody. Basically a try out contract. Easy enough to bury in the AHL. Somebody might be foolish enough to blame his lack of compete on the Oilers.

I suspect he'll play in Europe next year.

 

[Mr Positive]

A very smart GM is going to give Schultz a try at a low cap hit. He is probably one of the better value gambles there will be out there. It will probably be out east, and he'll play next to someone very good and will start to look very good as a result.

 

[shoop]

A very smart GM is going to give Schultz a try at a low cap hit. He is probably one of the better value gambles there will be out there. It will probably be out east, and he'll play next to someone very good and will start to look very good as a result.

He'll look good for a few months while motivated.

Then he'll see that the Oilers aren't all that terrible. The things the coaches ask him to do here: compete consistently, play smart and come to play every night. Those are the same things the coaches on his new team will ask him to do.

Then he will get into trouble again.

 

[Joey Moss]

When Schultz goes I will fully support the move, but in a way feel a little bad for him about the whole situation here. You gotta remember that Schultz picked Edmonton out of the whole league basically. I'll respect him for that and hope he finds his game somewhere else.

 

[Mr Positive]

He'll look good for a few months while motivated.

Then he'll see that the Oilers aren't all that terrible. The things the coaches ask him to do here: compete consistently, play smart and come to play every night. Those are the same things the coaches on his new team will ask him to do.

Then he will get into trouble again.

that's why it's a gamble. Schultz is low risk, high reward. Although I suppose he will get a shot on a new team if and when he gets traded at the deadline (or before). Stauffer was saying Tampa might have interest after the Garrison injury.

 

[488fitter]

At this point, the only thing I see that could salvage his career in the NHL is him being converted to a winger. Even then I'd wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole due to my other beefs with him as a player/person.

He simply can't defend at the NHL level. His bad habits won't allow it. By now those habits have become instinct and will most likely never be fixed.

It's funny to think back and reminisce how happy we all were when we landed him. Good times. What a disaster he turned out to be.

 

[488fitter]

When Schultz goes I will fully support the move, but in a way feel a little bad for him about the whole situation here. You gotta remember that Schultz picked Edmonton out of the whole league basically. I'll respect him for that and hope he finds his game somewhere else.

I'll only feel bad if it gets to the point where he's booed on home ice. Other than that, he's dug his own grave. He refuses to find a way to raise his compete level to where it needs to be, even when it's quite apparent his career is on the line. I don't think it's a hockey IQ issue with Schultz, I'm convinced he doesn't have the heart or determination to succeed at the highest level. These type of players usually find themselves playing overseas sooner or later.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

C'mon man where's your sense of humor? BBO gets it, and he loves Ference.

Yeah really!

Wait, what? Why you little......

 

[KCC]

Indeed.

I am by no means a Schultz fan but in terms of positives a couple of things are clear...he is a very good skater and he has good offensive instincts for a dman.

Unusual for me to go against the board hive mind on a player but I think Schultz is suffering big time from destroyed confidence.

He just doesnt trust his game anymore. He clearly needs a change of scenery and I think if he can find a team that has more defensive depth then the Oilers do (that shouldnt be too hard) he can possibly be a decent bottom pairing offensive dman.

That means squat to me. He's a huge defensive liability and the main reason he is so despised. But let's say he gains that confidence back. Great. It still won't help him because he doesn't take being a professional serious enough. He coasts and gets pushed off the puck so easily. He's 25 years old (almost 26) and has the strength of a player just entering the league.

 

[frag2]

I'll only feel bad if it gets to the point where he's booed on home ice. Other than that, he's dug his own grave. He refuses to find a way to raise his compete level to where it needs to be, even when it's quite apparent his career is on the line. I don't think it's a hockey IQ issue with Schultz, I'm convinced he doesn't have the heart or determination to succeed at the highest level. These type of players usually find themselves playing overseas sooner or later.

Yep. And honestly, he chose the Oilers, in hindsight, likely because we were desperate.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Yep. And honestly, he chose the Oilers, in hindsight, likely because we were desperate.

he chose the Oilers because he knew we are paper thin on defense and this was the quickest way to the NHL...he knew he had a spot locked up for him

as much as this is Schultz fault, management deserve a lot of blame for continually forcing him minutes in the hopes that he'll magically flip the switch
plus, MacT calling him "Norris trophy potential" did him no favours

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

he chose the Oilers because he knew we are paper thin on defense and this was the quickest way to the NHL...he knew he had a spot locked up for him

as much as this is Schultz fault, management deserve a lot of blame for continually forcing him minutes in the hopes that he'll magically flip the switch
plus, MacT calling him "Norris trophy potential" did him no favours

If Chia can pull off the miraculous feat of trading him, MacT should have the job of accompanying Schultz to his new team and be forces to be his personal butler for the remainder of the season on said team. He may also only refer to him as 'Mr Norris'

That'll teach him

 

[guymez]

That means squat to me. He's a huge defensive liability and the main reason he is so despised. But let's say he gains that confidence back. Great. It still won't help him because he doesn't take being a professional serious enough. He coasts and gets pushed off the puck so easily. He's 25 years old (almost 26) and has the strength of a player just entering the league.

Thats fine. I am not going to jump on the 'rip anything and everything about Justin Schultz including his character' bandwagon.

Have at it...you have lots of company as many on here seem to enjoy ripping the person and not just the player. Status quo for an outgoing player in these parts. Kind of pathetic IMO but it is what it is.

I think he can be a serviceable dman in the right environment...the Oilers Defence is junk and couldn't shelter anybody. That really hurts Justin as a player IMO.
His contract is also an issue.

In any event the only thing we might agree on is that Schultz's best before date on this team has expired.