* I went too o/t in my response to post this in the McLellan thread, so I post it here instead. Mods, I hope that is OK?
This is just false. Offensive instincts are about the only kind of instincts Schultz has.
Those instincts are what got him into the NHL, and having no other instincts besides is what is going to finish him in the NHL.
Schultz was a wizard on the PP in his first season and during the lockout. That unit made it look easy. Fans on this board were writing our Stanley lineup cards and wondering how many records this team would shatter. I am not joking. Those conversations happened.
Look at the goal Schultz scored the other night. Its a textbook example of offensive instinct and vision. Watch him read the play from the blueline and time his move perfectly. Its the only kind of goal Schultz knows how to score with regularity because his shot is so weak, but it was a thing of beauty to behold. A perfectly executed hockey play between him and Hall (was it?). Like the game was meant to be played.
The thing with Schultz is that the Oilers have flat out wrecked him. As usual they never take a thought to the player's skill set and instead try to use the player in a role they would like. In the case of d-men for the Oilers this usually means
play the hell out of them against comp they have no business facing while still rookies. Further, it also usually means
play them with someone who is not a style complement and probably on his last legs in the league. I mean its just a ****ing disgrace the way this team handles d-men. And here we are again giving Klefbom and Nurse twenty five minutes a night on the top pairings and hoping that its going to work out different this time. This after the team specifically saying they had learned their lessons and were going to develop these kids properly. Sometimes I hate this team so much. Fans should be livid and screaming about the state of the defense.
Now Schultz realizes all that goes into being an NHL defenceman. And being force-fed heavy minutes against guys that make a living eating guys like him for lunch. Of course he realizes he's in over his head and starts panicking. Mistakes pile up. He has no more time for going with his offensive instincts because he's too concerned about not ending up on the bloopers again. Next game he slaps the puck right into his own goal. Feels like an utter ********. Gets mocked hard all over the interweb. This guy isn't going to be making confident plays on the PP. He's probably looking at every shift as a success if he hasn't directly caused a GA.
Not making excuses for Schultz, but I can empathize with his situation. I guess that puts me in the minority, and I expect the usuals to say "oh there goes harpoon making excuses for the players again", but there's no doubt in my mind that Justin Schultz would be a different player today if he'd only signed in Anaheim.
And to say that he doesn't have offensive instincts is imo a complete misread of the player.
facepalm
