Justin Schultz

[McJadeddog]

He's a player that gotten by with a good amount of skill and smooth skating ability.

But it looks like he's never spent much time in the gym at all.

188 6'2 like I said isn't freakishly skinny or anything, but it is definitely on the weaker side.

If he's willing to hit the gym this summer, I'd keep him.

the problem is that his apparent lack of strength training speaks to a complete lack of discipline and dedication .... he's 24, not 19, its not like he is a kid anymore

additionally, he has already lost those years of working out, and will never get them back... he's behind the "strength 8-ball" so to speak, and will have a very difficult time making up that difference

strength and power can't be gained in a single offseason, they take *years* to properly build... so even if he hits the gym harder this off-season than anybody ever has before, we still likely wouldn't see any tangible difference in his game... he would have to have this dedication for another 2-3 years before we saw anything substantial on the ice

 

[McJadeddog]

If he signs for less then 3M sure give him a year or two to see if he can figure it out. Gryba can be the extra d.

he can't sign for that, we have to qualify him with, at minimum, what he made last year... the lowest he can make is $3.675, which is a gross overpayment for what he actually brings to the team

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Can Todd and crew fix this crap?

 

[shoop]

he can't sign for that, we have to qualify him with, at minimum, what he made last year... the lowest he can make is $3.675, which is a gross overpayment for what he actually brings to the team

Agreed 3.675 is the minimum offer on a one year deal and Schultz is not worth that.

Can't they sign him for 2 years $5M total or something along those lines?

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Can Todd and crew fix this crap?

I bet Todd loves Scrivens and Brossoit. His teams have trouble solving them lol

 

[ohheyhemsky]

I bet Todd loves Scrivens and Brossoit. His teams have trouble solving them lol

I accidentally put up the wrong video. Fixed.

 

[Soundwave]

Can Todd and crew fix this crap?

To be honest it looks like he just lost an edge. Yeah we can kill him for that, but that was a more honest mistake. It's things like the giveaways bringing the puck up on a PP that would concern me more, but that is fixable IMO.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

To be honest it looks like he just lost an edge. Yeah we can kill him for that, but that was a more honest mistake. It's things like the giveaways bringing the puck up on a PP that would concern me more, but that is fixable IMO.

Oh, there's much worse to post. Arrant passes behind his own net giving up the puck. Lack of battle on the boards. Apathy with the puck in front of his own net. Horrible play on the OZ blue line. A general inability to pinch at the correct time. Etc, etc, etc.

 

[Lacaar]

If he puts on some muscle and starts winning a freaking board battle in his own end his game wold improve a ton.

The guy can't get the puck in his own end to move it.

He plays scared is the only way I can describe him.

 

[Smart Alek]

OK... (disclaimer) I've only watched three full pre-season games, and am currently in the 1st period of tonight's tilt. I've been watching Schultzy since he started out in the bigs, and (like everyone else... except the fans of EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE) have grown more and more frustrated by his development... especially since his first 20 or so games with the Oilers looked so very promising. HOWEVER, what I've noticed this pre-season is that it appears as though he's finally added that one element to his game that was so sorely missing: EFFORT.

I'm sure that if I'm correct, this has been discussed much on this board, so apologies if this is redundant... that said, if I were you folks, I'd probably be interested in the perspective of a guy who (sorry to be conceited) knows a fair bit about the game, and isn't an Oilers fan (or a fan of any other team, FYI). I know it can be difficult to notice changes when one sees each and every game... like you don't notice your own kids growing taller, or your tortoises dying.

Anyways, the short of it is that Justin looks to me, for the 1st time ever, as a guy who's legitimately got a shot at being a number 1 d-man. And if I'm right, and he's just started giving a full effort... then what the hell? What was he waiting for? He seems like a pretty intelligent guy, so it's hard to believe the notion of "trying" just occured to him this summer.

Obviously, he knows that the writing is on the wall, and Craig MacTavish isn't going to be able to protect him any longer, but I don't want to be cynical here. Any thoughts as to what (if there's another reason) made the ball finally drop for him?

Or does 'current Oiler fan conventional wisdom/zeitgeist' think I'm out to lunch, and the change I think I'm seeing is nowhere near as profound as I'm suggesting. Because yes, I do feel it warrants the moniker of 'profound'. And I, for one, can't wait to watch the Oilers this season as a result. Besides, I've heard they picked up some Scottish kid in the draft this year too... can't recall his name.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

OK... (disclaimer) I've only watched three full pre-season games, and am currently in the 1st period of tonight's tilt. I've been watching Schultzy since he started out in the bigs, and (like everyone else... except the fans of EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE) have grown more and more frustrated by his development... especially since his first 20 or so games with the Oilers looked so very promising. HOWEVER, what I've noticed this pre-season is that it appears as though he's finally added that one element to his game that was so sorely missing: EFFORT.

I'm sure that if I'm correct, this has been discussed much on this board, so apologies if this is redundant... that said, if I were you folks, I'd probably be interested in the perspective of a guy who (sorry to be conceited) knows a fair bit about the game, and isn't an Oilers fan (or a fan of any other team, FYI). I know it can be difficult to notice changes when one sees each and every game... like you don't notice your own kids growing taller, or your tortoises dying.

Anyways, the short of it is that Justin looks to me, for the 1st time ever, as a guy who's legitimately got a shot at being a number 1 d-man. And if I'm right, and he's just started giving a full effort... then what the hell? What was he waiting for? He seems like a pretty intelligent guy, so it's hard to believe the notion of "trying" just occured to him this summer.

Obviously, he knows that the writing is on the wall, and Craig MacTavish isn't going to be able to protect him any longer, but I don't want to be cynical here. Any thoughts as to what (if there's another reason) made the ball finally drop for him?

Or does 'current Oiler fan conventional wisdom/zeitgeist' think I'm out to lunch, and the change I think I'm seeing is nowhere near as profound as I'm suggesting. Because yes, I do feel it warrants the moniker of 'profound'. And I, for one, can't wait to watch the Oilers this season as a result. Besides, I've heard they picked up some Scottish kid in the draft this year too... can't recall his name.

still doesn't have enough grit in his game to play against the Getzlaf's or Kopitar's of the league, not a good enough first pass out of the zone to be considered a true "puck-mover"

he's fine as a bottom-pairing PP specialist and may work his way into the top 4 on a good team but not at the moment

yes, he's looked better this year then in years past but still way to many deficiencies in his game to be considered "top-pairing" material

 

[Throttlehead]

still doesn't have enough grit in his game to play against the Getzlaf's or Kopitar's of the league, not a good enough first pass out of the zone to be considered a true "puck-mover"

he's fine as a bottom-pairing PP specialist and may work his way into the top 4 on a good team but not at the moment

yes, he's looked better this year then in years past but still way to many deficiencies in his game to be considered "top-pairing" material

He has out played Sekara tremendously up to this point this year, plus he has been just as gritty if not more. He doesn't have to hammer people, he just needs to win the puck. I think his first pass is as good as any d we have right now.

I was on his case all last year but he seems to have changed quite a bit, lets see if it continues.

 

[Spawn]

OK... (disclaimer) I've only watched three full pre-season games, and am currently in the 1st period of tonight's tilt. I've been watching Schultzy since he started out in the bigs, and (like everyone else... except the fans of EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE) have grown more and more frustrated by his development... especially since his first 20 or so games with the Oilers looked so very promising. HOWEVER, what I've noticed this pre-season is that it appears as though he's finally added that one element to his game that was so sorely missing: EFFORT.

I'm sure that if I'm correct, this has been discussed much on this board, so apologies if this is redundant... that said, if I were you folks, I'd probably be interested in the perspective of a guy who (sorry to be conceited) knows a fair bit about the game, and isn't an Oilers fan (or a fan of any other team, FYI). I know it can be difficult to notice changes when one sees each and every game... like you don't notice your own kids growing taller, or your tortoises dying.

Anyways, the short of it is that Justin looks to me, for the 1st time ever, as a guy who's legitimately got a shot at being a number 1 d-man. And if I'm right, and he's just started giving a full effort... then what the hell? What was he waiting for? He seems like a pretty intelligent guy, so it's hard to believe the notion of "trying" just occured to him this summer.

Obviously, he knows that the writing is on the wall, and Craig MacTavish isn't going to be able to protect him any longer, but I don't want to be cynical here. Any thoughts as to what (if there's another reason) made the ball finally drop for him?

Or does 'current Oiler fan conventional wisdom/zeitgeist' think I'm out to lunch, and the change I think I'm seeing is nowhere near as profound as I'm suggesting. Because yes, I do feel it warrants the moniker of 'profound'. And I, for one, can't wait to watch the Oilers this season as a result. Besides, I've heard they picked up some Scottish kid in the draft this year too... can't recall his name.

He's not stuck under Eakins anymore, has some renewed confidence under new guidance from a new management and coaching staff, and he probably had to do some soul searching this summer to figure out if he wanted to eek his way through an NHL career or really take advantage of the gifts that he's got.

Not sure it's fair to say he's playing like he has #1 potential. I don't think he has a complete enough game. Hopefully he'll be able to be a positive contributor most nights at least.

 

[Smart Alek]

He's not stuck under Eakins anymore, has some renewed confidence under new guidance from a new management and coaching staff, and he probably had to do some soul searching this summer to figure out if he wanted to eek his way through an NHL career or really take advantage of the gifts that he's got.

I'm curious... I'm prepared to accept the opinion of virtually every Edmonton fan here that Eakins was to coaching what Hitler was to civil rights. But specifically with regard to Justin Schultz, how do you feel he handicapped the kid? Was it just generally awful coaching that turned everything he touched bad, like salmonella, or anything specific to Schultz? I ask, because usually it's an Assistant Coach who works specifically with the defensemen.

Couldn't agree more about Schultz having to do some soul-searching. To use a past Oiler comparable, it's similar in a way to Mike Comrie's career. He had a choice to make too, where he could really work on his game and remain a useful player into his late 30's, or continue to rely on two or three junior moves until they rendered him irrelevant. I know it was injuries that finally did him in, but did they? Just look at him... he even lost the girl. Take note, Justin.

Not sure it's fair to say he's playing like he has #1 potential. I don't think he has a complete enough game. Hopefully he'll be able to be a positive contributor most nights at least.

Fair enough... I may have gotten carried away by saying he could be a Number 1. Though I got carried away because until he finally puts forth a strong, consistent effort, none of us really know what his true potential is. I don't think he's given us the opportunity to gauge it before.

This year is truly the pivotal year for his career.

 

[Soundwave]

He's an OK second pairing guy, don't think he's ever going to be a legit 1st pairing unless you can shelter him with a Norris-candidate type of player.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

He's an OK second pairing guy, don't think he's ever going to be a legit 1st pairing unless you can shelter him with a Norris-candidate type of player.

If he had a hard fast shot he could. But he simply doesn't. He has the tools to be a very good second pairing guy if he keeps up this pre sesson

 

[Del Preston]

I wanted Schultz nowhere near the Oilers after the past two years but I must say he looks much better this preseason. Good for him. Let's hope he can keep it up.

 

[Klimando Kostani]

I made a dozen or so posts in the past two years dedicated to shtting on Justin and so I better give him some accolades when he does well.

He looks promising this preseason even more with his effort than with his play. Last night he fought hard against the boards to keep a Canuck pinned, that grittiness we haven't seen before. Hopefully the reasons he's found for being more physical stick and then through the year he will get better at the physical side of the game. One more hope is that it comes fast to him. Although I don't think he has number 1 potential, if he could be more serviceable defensively then a sekera-schultz pairing would be the most versatile defensive pairing we have had in half a decade.

Lot of ifs though, so for now, I'm going to sit back and watch the young man develop as defensmen commonly still continue to do at his age.

 

[Beerfish]

Should have walked away from him last year, maybe traded him for a 7th round draft choice......

 

[Smart Alek]

Should have walked away from him last year, maybe traded him for a 7th round draft choice......

Honest questions... are you (tick all that apply):

A) Saying he doesn't look like a changed player (philosophically) in pre-season?

B) Telling us you haven't watched pre-season?

C) Informing us you don't care about pre-season?

D) 'Cut and Pasting' canned responses from an excel spreadsheet, in order to join that 'illustrious' 15 000 post club as soon as possible?

 

[guymez]

Should have walked away from him last year, maybe traded him for a 7th round draft choice......

I am with Smart Alek here...very curious to see how you can justify this statement because quite honestly your suggestion doesn't make much sense.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I am with Smart Alek here...very curious to see how you can justify this statement because quite honestly your suggestion doesn't make much sense.

He's probably taking a jab at everyone that wanted him gone for nothing.

For me the talent has always been there, good coaching and an improvement in strength and compete make him a potential top pairing guy IMO.

 

[guymez]

He's probably taking a jab at everyone that wanted him gone for nothing.

For me the talent has always been there, good coaching and an improvement in strength and compete make him a potential top pairing guy IMO.

I am not convinced he is a top pairing dman but IMO he has a chance to be a solid top 4 (PP QB) dman.

 

[McShogun99]

He's looked like our best defenseman during preseason.

 

[Red Deer Rebel]

I was super frustrated with Schultz the last two seasons. It seemed like he was lacking in hockey sense, and was just getting owned in our own end on play after play.

Kudos to him for coming into camp in great shape, and playing with a lot more quickness and decisiveness in his game.

He looks damn good out there thus far.

Another potential disaster brought about Eakins and MacTavish has been averted (I hope).

I don't think I'll ever come to grips with how bad the coaching and management of this team really was. Just look at Schultz in interviews this year. He seems happy and engaged. Last year, he seemed almost depressed.

I thought for sure he was a goner.