Justin Schultz
“Life is an adventure in forgiveness.”
-- Norman Cousins
Justin Schultz played for four-plus seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a rival of the Washington Capitals of some note. In 15 regular season games he played against the Caps in those four-plus seasons, he led Penguin defensemen in scoring (12 points in 15 games) and tied for the lead among Pittsburgh defensemen in power play points (five). He was equally effective against the Caps in the postseason, going 2-8-10 in 15 playoff games, leading all Penguin defensemen in total points and posting the only game-winning goal recorded by a defenseman in that period.
And then, he was a Capital. Schultz was signed to a two-year/$8.0 million contract last October after what were two disappointing seasons with the Penguins (2-13-15, even, in an injury-plagued 2019-2020 season that held him to 29 games, and 3-9-12, minus-13, in 46 games last season). He was a bit sluggish getting out of the gate to start the season, failing to record a point in his first five games and registering only for shots on goal. But then he broke out with three-straight two-point games, going 2-4-6, plus-5, with ten shots on goal over those three games. But in the third period of that third game Schultz took a puck to the face the resulted in lost teeth and a few small fractures.
That he missed only four games as a result of the injury seems almost miraculous. But he came back almost picking up where he left off, posing points in two of three games upon his return. After sustaining a bit of a slump (one point in nine games), he finished the regular season strong, but in a bit of an odd way. Schultz posted 18 points in his last 26 games, but 17 of those points were assists. He was 1-for-31 shooting the puck. He also missed six of the last ten games of the regular season to lower body injuries.
Fearless’ Take… Schultz had a productive year on offense for the Caps, in a bit of an odd way. He was the only defenseman in the league to post three or fewer goals, record 24 or more assists, and have a rating of plus-12 or better. His on-ice goal differential at even strength (plus-14) tied for second-best on the team among defensemen, and his goal differential percentage at evens of 59.2 was best among Caps defensemen. Ice time mattered as well. In 25 games in which Schultz skated at least 19:24, the Caps were 19-3-3; they were 11-8-2 when he skated less than that.
Cheerless’ Take… Schultz is a bit of an outlier in this series. It is hard to find a number or a statistic that one could point to and conclude that this is where he came up short. We was a solid second pair defenseman who could also play significant second power play unit minutes. There is the matter of injuries, though, that have worked their way into his record. Although the early season puck-in-the-face injury was a fluke, Schultz has missed 86 of 207 regular season games over the last three seasons.
Odd Schultz Fact… The Caps were 9-0-2 when Schultz was credited with two or more blocked shots.
Odd Schultz Fact II… Schultz led the league’s defensemen in primary assists per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (0.94; minimum: 15 games).
Odd Schultz Fact III… Washington was 8-2-2 in 12 games in which Schultz did not record a shot on goal.
Game to Remember… April 9, 2021 vs. Buffalo Sabres. When the Caps shuffled off to Buffalo for an early-April matchup, they were sputtering, going 2-4-0 over their previous six games. Justin Schultz was a part of that, going 0-1-1, minus-6 over those six games. The Caps broke out early, though, with Schultz recording the primary assist on a Brenden Dillon goal just 2:39 into the game. The Caps doubled their lead nine minutes later, but the Sabres got one back late in the first period. Schultz restored the Caps’ two-goal lead just 28 seconds into the second period, taking a feed off a faceoff win in the offensive end by Lars Eller, skating up into open space left by the Sabres’ defense, and rifling a shot past goalie Dustin Tokarski. Buffalo closed to within a goal once more mid-way through the second period, but the Caps got insurance mid-way through the third period when Schultz recorded another primary assist, this one on a goal by Jakub Vrana. That would prove to be the game-winning goal in the Caps’ 4-3 win. Schultz finished with his only three-point game of the season, two hits, a blocked shot, and a plus-2 rating in 19:45 of ice time.
Game to Forget… January 28, 2021 vs. New York Islanders. Yeah, let’s forget this one…
Postseason… Schultz did not record a point in the five-game opening round loss to Boston, and dating back to his last two seasons in Pittsburgh he is 1-3-4, minus-8 in 13 playoff games. He did log a career high 22:24 per game in the 2021 playoffs. His even strength goal differential percentage of 37.5 percent was disappointing considering how impressive it was in the regular season. He was the only Capitals defenseman not credited with a takeaway over the five games.
Looking ahead… Schultz has one year left on his two-year deal with the Caps and a $4.0 million cap hit. While it sounds like a substantial burden on the cap, and it is a $1.5 million reduction from his previous contract, it looks like a value in the season just completed. Of 24 defensemen age 28-34 (Schultz will turn 31 on July 6th) and cap hits from $3.5-4.5 million, Schultz finished fourth in points, fourth in points per game, eighth in plus-minus rating, and 15th in average ice time. Going into the walk year of his contract, something to watch for will be his durability. He would certainly appear for the moment to get the minutes he will need to post attractive numbers, whether that is for a new Caps deal or for his next employer.
In the end…
Justin Schultz had a solid year in the games he played. In a way, his top-level production seemed to be what the Caps might have expected from Michal Kempny had he been healthy. And, they are players with similar durability issues. If both return and avoid absences, while posting numbers on a per game basis Schultz produced this season, it will be a plus for the Caps.
Grade: B+
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