2010-11 Rink Wrap: Jeff Schultz
by J.P. on Jun 8, 2011 11:00 AM EDT
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PrintFrom Alzner to Wideman, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Next up, Jeff Schultz.
Jeff Schultz
#55 / Defenseman / Washington Capitals
6-6
221
Feb 25, 1986
5
$2,750,000 cap hit through 2013-14; UFA summer 2014
'09-'10 Rink Wrap: 7.63
4.93
6.32
Key Stats: Schultz led the League's second-best regular season penalty killing unit in shorthanded ice time per game (minimum 22 games).
Interesting Stat: Since the lockout, only Nicklas Lidstrom has a better plus-minus among NHL blueliners than Schultz, who hasn't finished a season with a minus rating since his penultimate year of Juniors.
The Good: At five-aside, Schultz faced the toughest competition among the team's defense corps, with the exception of the top pair, and did so without the benefit of a consistent partner - whereas in 2009-10 he skated more than half of the time with Mike Green, in 2010-11 that number dropped to just over 40%, with him seeing regular time with Scott Hannan and Dennis Wideman, among others. In those relatively difficult minutes, Schultz fared, well... we'll get back to that in the next section (though it should be noted that Sarge took so few penalties he made Karl Alzner look like a thug, so there's that).
Where Schultz did perform well was on the revamped penalty kill, where he not only saw tough competition, but also posted the best GAON/60 of the team's D's who averaged more than 1:30 of shorthanded time per game (thanks in no small part to his netminders making a lot of saves behind him).
Schultz also played well in the Caps' first-round series against the Rangers, playing five games without being on the ice for a single goal against while leading the victors in plus-minus.
The Bad: Let's face it - Jeff Schultz regressed in 2010-11. As has been the case throughout his still-young NHL career, to get an appreciation for "The Good" from Schultz requires diving a bit deeper than simply glancing at his traditional stats (plus-minus and blocked shots aside). Unfortunately, this time around, the deep dive reveals more bad than good. At even-strength, Schultz was on the ice for as many goals-against as goals-for; the only defenseman who was with the team all season to play more than 21 games and finish with worse +-ON/60 was Tyler Sloan (and if not for a strong PDO, Schultz's numbers would look even worse). His Corsi was pretty lousy, shots-for and shots-against poor, and his offensive rate stats woeful. And despite good numbers on the PK (and with the caveat that he played relatively big minutes on that unit), no Cap was on the ice for more goals against per game than was Sarge.
Back to surface level, Schultz posted the worst offensive numbers of his career, more than halving his goals and assists from a season prior and firing fewer shots on goal per game than during any of his NHL seasons to date.
Finally, Schultz seemed to hit a wall in the second round of the playoffs, as he was on the ice for six Tampa goals (two on the power play) in the four games. Only Marcus Johansson (minus-5) had a worse plus-minus against the Bolts than did Sarge.
The Vote: Rate Schultz below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.
The Discussion: Schultz's 2010-11 season: aberration or something more? How much of his down year can be attributed to a lack of playing time with Mike Green (or any consistent partner for that matter), or on losing a month of training and 25 pounds in the off-season while battling mononucleosis? Where does he fit in going forward? What will it take for him to earn a '10' next season?
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First things first, DMG must be crushed he didn’t get the honor on this one.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
D’s got bigger fish to fry this week…
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Poti, then Schultz, then … oh.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
Remember, haters – if you thought Jeff Schultz sucked last summer and thought he sucked this past season, he met your expectations and you should be voting 5’s or so…
For me, he greatly disappointed overall, mostly from a consistency standpoint. He’d have good stretches and bad ones. A lot of that, I think, is on the constant pair juggling (hey now), but ultimately it’s on him.
I’m leaning 3.
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(And probably most disappointing to me, he far too often was precisely what the doubters say he is – slow, clumsy and soft.)
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I wonder how long it will be until the robo-voters make an appearance.
Matt Bradley: He has sensitive skin, no?
And the question is, where will they/he/she swing? Seems like Ovi is the only one they blasted with 10’s
When will CAPTCHA be incorporated into the voting process?
by Moonage Daydream on Jun 8, 2011 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
It’s so even across the board. Very weird.
"Hockey won’t hold still for a portrait. To gain a glimpse inside you join it in progress—just as the players do." Epilogue of 24/7
by capsyoungguns on Jun 8, 2011 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions
3
After the numbers he posted last season, we overrated him. He didn’t meet my expectations at all, lofty as they were, especially from a consistency standpoint.
"If you want money, go to the bank. If you want bread, go to the bakery. If you want goals, go to the net" -Brooks Laich
6
Honestly, he seems to invisible on the ice at times that it’s hard to know WHAT to expect form him because you really don’t remember him.
So he did more or less about what I expected so I’d probably go a 5. I’ll give him a +1 for having to shuffle line mates so many times and doing well on the PK which is what we really needed.
Faulting him for dipping a bit offensively doesn’t make too much sense since he’s more expected to be a stay-at-home kinda guy like Alzner. I’ll ignore his +/- since I attribute most last year’s +/- dominance to the offensive players just doing better.
3
Definitely regressed, but I think he’s earned some patience and the opportunity for a bounce-back year before getting railroaded out of town (seems like I’m saying that a lot in these wraps). I’m also definitely in the “mono fucked him” camp. The guy has a very high metabolism, is rail thin, young, and has already talked about how hard it is to keep weight on. Hopefully a health off-season, as well as the filling out that is normal as you age, will help him next season.
Going forward I think he fits as a perfect 4/5 that can eat PKTOI and be reliable against relatively difficult competition at ES (understanding that Carlznerson are still going to eat the top line minutes). A ten from him would be 20+ points and the D he showed last year, but probably a little stronger and more assertive.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
Missing nine games with a busted thumb didn’t help. To that point, he wasn’t having a bad season.
If you've read this far...seek help.
he’s a 5th defender on a good squad, so if he’s getting 2nd pairing minutes, you’ve got a roster problem.
He was a 2nd defender on a Presidents’ Trophy squad, so I’d say some recalibration is in order.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
c’mon, we can play this game all night. He was a 2nd defender on a team that got bounced by a crappy MTL team.
This year, Marjo ended up as the 2C for most of the season on the Eastern Conf champs. That doesn’t mean he’s pushing towards a championship if he’s your 2C.
If you’re satisfied with 55 as your 2nd pairing D, then I think you’re the one in need of recalibration. If you’re satisfied with him as your #2 defender, then you’re nuts!
What can I say, shultz’s lack of mean streak brings out my mean streak. ’-)
I just don’t see any possible definition of “good squad” that doesn’t include the team that wins the Presidents’ Trophy, even if they aren’t the team best built for the playoffs (or the team unlucky enough to lose).
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
3
Schultz is a better dman than he showed this season. I think his brutal offseason and Green’s injuries played a part, but he just didn’t play as well as he is capable of. He started the season strong, with a bunch of games where he wasn’t on for a single goal against, but seemed to fade later in the season. I think this season was an aberration, and that what we will get from him is a bit below what we got in ‘09-’10.
Matt Bradley: He has sensitive skin, no?
FYI
He scored more game winning goals this season than he has in his entire career combined
1
WOOOOO!!! That’s gotta be worth sumthin’!
3
Which is a testament to how high my expectations were for the guy. Keeping Schultz’s off-season issues, his early season injury, and Green’s injuries in mind, I was teetering between a 3 and a 4. His TBL series (while not entirely his fault) made me round down.
"Neuvy was eating pucks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
Would the second half of his season possibly been different if he hadn’t rushed back from the hand injury? Or were tehy unrelated?
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
I actually was just about to say something to that effect. I think him coming back so soon for the WC was a terrible idea, but I’m not sure that it was still having an impact as late as the playoffs. IIRC it was (supposedly) a clean break on his hand, and he’s not a shooter. Granted I’ve never been a hockey D-man, but I’d venture to guess that a hand injury isn’t quite as debilitating as a D-man compared to say, Backstrom up front. And it shouldn’t have impacted his conditioning like a head or lower-body injury might.
So while I think the early second half can be attributed to the hand, I don’t think his late-season performance should be excused by it.
Also, the fact that I got to watch Shutter Island “with” him (read: sitting two rows in front of him at the movie theatre) in December really made me want to round up. But I was rational and did not let my personal opinions cloud my judgement.
"Neuvy was eating pucks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
by SeattleCapsFan on Jun 8, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Well if he had sat more time he could have spent more time in the gym and on conditioning, so maybe it impacted more than just the hand.
And for a D like Schultz, having a bum hand (does anyone remember if it was left or right?) is going to impact your ability to poke check and be strong on the stick. It won’t matter on his shot, but it could hinder his already suspect passing and the ability to battle for pucks in the corner. It just depends how much pain he was still in after he returned.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
Shutter Island came out in theaters in Feb 2010. Maybe you rounded up in last year’s Wrap? :)
by Cluster on Jun 8, 2011 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Nice – the nitpickiest nitpick in the history of this nitpicky site.
And maybe she’s misremembering slightly and was actually in an adult theatre watching Shut ’Er Eye Land, a flick about a water-surrounded land mass where the only sex move they know is The Angry Pirate.
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by J.P. on Jun 8, 2011 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 7 recs
Wish I knew which part of that comment was getting rec’d…
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I knew why you were rec’ing it.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I had to give him a 4. As someone who has been a strong Schultz supporter there is no question he had a disappointing year. I am sure his having mono in the offseason and not having a regular playing partner were contributing factors but I am beginning to believe that his lack of foot speed is going to prevent him from being a top end defenseman. I always believed he would be a top 4 defenseman but I am having my doubts. Maybe he will have a bounce back season; lets hope so. Otherwise he is going to be a 3rd pairing defenseman next season.
Proud to be a Caps fan. Its a Great Day for Hockey.
This isn’t necessarily directed just at you, 4caps2, but I don’t particularly like the distinction of calling him top 4 or 3rd pair next year. He could very well be 3rd pair, but in my opinion that just means we’ll have a deep and talented D corps. If he plays on the 3rd pair, but gives us minutes that are of similar quality that you’d expect from a second pair guy, then I’m happy. As long as we have a bunch of D that give us good, NHL quality, minutes, we’ll be alright. You don’t have to force guys into relatively arbitrary slots.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
Further to that point, the Caps had six D’s last year who averaged between 17:15 and 18:23 of even-strength TOI. Obviously there was a difference in the competition Alzner and Carlson faced, but I think that, ideally, Bruce (ahem) would want to roll three pairs more or less, and then send some guys out for the PP, some for the PK and a few for both. Second- versus third-pairings shouldn’t matter much.
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by J.P. on Jun 8, 2011 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Right. If you’ve got a first pair, Carlznerson, that does all the heavy lifting, and you can put two pairs together that are “second pair” caliber, that’s an ideal situation. And having Mike Green be on a “second pair caliber” line is a bit of an understatement.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
If you had, for the sake of argument, 52-55 and 6-23… who gives a toss which is nominally second or third? The only way it starts to matter is if 4 (or someone similar) is in the mix and you have to start hiding, or at least consciously matching, a third pairing, which then defines a second pairing a bit more clearly.
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Spot on. And 52/55, 6/23 means you have a lot of freedom to switch up the special teams usage without leaving your guys too gassed for ES.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
So I take from this message chain you feel somewhat strongly that 23 will be brought back into the fold?
No, actually. I feel it’s unlikely that he will be. But in a Poti-less perfect world, that’s the way I’d see it working out.
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So in your mind the Caps are going to be counting on somewhat significant contributions from either Poti or Erskine next season? Or do they promote from within or go sign someone else in free agency?
I would expect the opening night roster to have 27, 74, 52, 55, 6, 4 and 89 on it on D, with 3 on (LT)IR. But that’s just a guess. Maybe they get a guy (actually, I think they will if 3 isn’t getting any better). Maybe 3 retires. But if you held a gun to my head and made me predict… there it is.
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I’d hope 89 and 3 get sent through waivers as soon as they can. LTIR does us no good for 3 and 89 is a waste of everything related to an NHL roster spot. The team clearly does not trust him. Last year they called up Alzner, a rookie, for game 7 instead of dressing 89. This year they called up Collins and then dressed him over 89. How many more times do they need to take a look at him?
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
by Rob Parker on Jun 8, 2011 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. Completely. More my thoughts on what’s likely to happen than what should happen.
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8
I either a light evaluator or a push over or had low expectations.
I don’t see him as having a disappointing year. I didn’t expect him to repeat his +/- from the previous year. I think he was a steady presence on the blue line and is a good 3/4 defenseman for the Caps. I didn’t expect him to be 1/2 and I got a bit more than I was expecting.
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How does Schultz compare to combrably compensated defensemen?
by 8vechkin on Jun 8, 2011 12:03 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
He gets paid almost the same as Hanan doesn’t he? He kind of reminds me of an inexperienced version of Hanan.
No, Schultz is at 2.75, Hannan was at 4.5.
"...what're you gonna do?"
by Rainbow, Kitty, Beer on Jun 8, 2011 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Come on, man, for crying out loud! — dozens, maybe hundreds of people are going to read every comment that is posted in a hockey thread on this site. Please exercise some degree of discipline so that you don’t waste their time!
There’s an easy link to salary information on this and every other page of this site. Or you can go to capgeek. Or you can check their respective rink wraps — the salary information is right there in the original post. And basic stats and other information about players are just as easy to find.
The next time you’ve written an idle question about an easily-ascertainable fact like whether Schultz and Hannan have the same salary, please take the mouse off of “Post” and direct it over to somewhere that you can find the answer yourself.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Jun 8, 2011 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
Woah- I didn’t ask the question about Schultz v. Hannan, but I asked the more general question he/she was responding to.
I meant my general question as a conversation starter for those with more hockey knowledge than me (as in, any hockey knowledge) because I see experts here all the time comparing similarly compensated players and their performance.
No harm intended!!
by 8vechkin on Jun 8, 2011 2:48 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
3
Maybe could have gone 4. For whatever reason, JS55 regressed this season, particularly at even strength. IMHO, I don’t think his skating was quite as good as last year, and I believe that might be because he wasn’t making the right decisions quickly out on the ice. It goes without saying that Jeff isn’t the greatest skater, but in 2009-2010 he seemed to mitigate that by making good decisions, being positionally sound and doing some good defensive work with his stick. Whether it was injury/fitness, not having a consistent pairing, or just a lack of confidence, it didn’t work out the same way this year. Going forward, perhaps ‘09-’10 was the aberration and this season is more indicative of the player Schultz is. Perhaps my expectations were a bit to high then coming in to this year, but none-the-less, he didn’t live up to them, particularly at even strenght, so I gave him a 3.
How Jeff earns a 10 for next season will depend on whether I baseline him based on this season or ‘09-’10. I’m hopeful he can rebound so a 5-6 for next season would be for his even strength quailty of play to return to ‘09-’10 levels. To get a 10, he has to do that, get 20 points and be more physical.
3
I had big expectations, as I have long been one of the supporters of Schultz. He just didn’t look very good this year overall.
I DO think this season was more of an aberration than true regression. I think that part of that regression is due to less consistent pairings, part is due to his most frequent partner (green) not having anywhere near the season (offensively) that he has had in the past, and part is the mono. And of course, part is just that the entire team seemed “off” for at least stretches this year, with a lot of career-worst type performances.
Going forward, I think he is still exactly the player he has been…a top PK performer, top 4-caliber, stay-at-home defensive d-man. To earn a 10, he really just needs to be a shutdown guy with a solid /- and strong PK numbers, and play well THROUGHOUT the playoffs, not just in spurts or against “favorable” matchups. Points are kinda moot to me in evaluating a great season for JS, but I guess in terms of “the best season possible” I would say 5 goals and 30+ pts. But those numbers aren’t necessary for me to rate him highly if he does all the other things well.
Going forward, I think he is still exactly the player he has been…a top PK performer, top 4-caliber, stay-at-home defensive d-man.
Here’s the interesting point…I think he’s been the top-4 D for one season, and a clear 3rd pair guy in another season (and more, if you go back further). Which is the “real” Schultz?
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If I reference a lot of stats, just assume I haven't seen anything to contradict or invalidate them.
by red army line on Jun 8, 2011 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
If this was a 29-year-old player, I’d say that the “top-4” season was a fluke. But since he’s still developing as a player and has some mitigating factors weighing on this past season’s regression, I’d say… jury’s still out.
But I’d also say, to a point made above… what is a “top-4 D” vs. “a clear 3rd pair guy”? If the question is whether he has to be hidden/protected or not, I’d say no. Does that make him a top-4 D?
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My somewhat arbitrary answer is that a top-4 D needs to be able to outshoot his minutes (and a top pair D will outshoot difficult minutes). Schultz has shown progress in the possession game, but needs to show a bit more, I think.
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If I reference a lot of stats, just assume I haven't seen anything to contradict or invalidate them.
by red army line on Jun 8, 2011 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
What do you mean by “outshoot his minutes?”
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Can’t speak for RAL, but I would use that term to mean that they’re plus-players in either Corsi or Corsi Rel.
"Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful" George E.P. Box
by Knee high to a duck on Jun 8, 2011 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That’s what I figured. And obviously, 55 was balls there this year.
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Yep. I could forgive him if he had moderately difficult zone starts or was playing with Boyd Gordon, Matt Hendricks, and the like. Unreliable as they are, though, the QoT metrics show good teammate support for Schultz. Maybe it’s just a matter of Schultz not being especially adept offensively, in which case, he shouldn’t get ice time with the good offensive players, but I think Schultz has it in him. Maybe he ever won’t QB a single PP, but his first pass and smarts are good enough for a better possession game.
That’s my take, at least.
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If I reference a lot of stats, just assume I haven't seen anything to contradict or invalidate them.
by red army line on Jun 8, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
And I guess by his categorizations, 27-74 would be top-pair, 52 and 6 top-4 and everyone else… other. I’d by that from this past season.
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Outshoot His Minutes
Actually shoots the puck at some point during his minutes on ice?
Sorry.
It’s all wrong, but it’s all right.
I’d argue he was top pair last season, and 2nd pair this season. Even in ‘08-’09, I think he was showing top 4 potential. Before that, he wasn’t used much – so I’d say he’s clearly shown the “real” Schultz to be top 4, more likely a 2nd pair than 1st.
Matt Bradley: He has sensitive skin, no?
He had a pretty rough season this year. To be on the Eastern Conference’s best regular season team and be dead even in goals for and against at even strength is… not really good.
That said, I agree – certainly top-four potential, most likely not top-pair potential.
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General question: Is there a D on the team whose success or failure is more dependent on being matched with the right type of partner (if not a specific player) than Schultz?
I’d love to see some numbers on him with different partners. Neil? Patrick? Harris?
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Alzner seems to be the same way. Maybe it’s the stay at home guys in general.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
I’d agree, but can’t remember Alzner ever playing with anyone else.
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Early on I think he had to play with Fahey, before he and Carlson became the top pair. Also, last year he was frequently on the third pair with 4 or 89.
A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a playoff surrender.
Yeah, I was kinda snarking on my (little) pet peeve that 27-74 never spent any time apart. Obviously on the one hand, why would they? On the other hand… plenty of reasons.
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Here’s something, although it’s a year old. The WOWYs I did to start the year had Green and Schultz both slightly better playing together, but Schultz and Poti with higher Corsi% separated than together (don’t know about QoC or zone starts, think Neil has the former).
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If I reference a lot of stats, just assume I haven't seen anything to contradict or invalidate them.
by red army line on Jun 8, 2011 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d actually asked him about who he likes playing with a while back (training camp 2009, I believe) and he said Poti and Jurcina. Surprised me.
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Neil? Patrick? Harris?
that was (Dr.) Horrible
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Jun 8, 2011 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
For me, he gets a 10 if he goes 30-30. Points and plus-minus. It would tell me he is rebounding from this season, and that (given he gets no power play time) that he’s contributing to a better 5-on-5 team-wide performance than the Caps had this season. He’s never going to get within a time zone of plus-50 again.
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4
I had lofty expectations for him after his break out year in 2009-10 and he didn’t deliver. He wasn’t a bad defenseman during the season, but for playing 72 games, I would have expected a little more offense, and certainly more than a +6. He didn’t take a lot of penalites, which is good.
His play in the Rangers series was above what I expected from him during the season. He was outstanding in those gamed and really looked like he rebounded. Against Tampa, well, they figured out how to get around him.
I do expect he will rebound. He’s always impressed me with his smarts and positioning on the ice, and that’s less about talent and more about preparation. I still think he can get his slap shot speed up into the 90s if he works at it as well (esp. with his size and the torque he could get on the stick).
To get a 10 next year… he’d have to get back to his 2009-10 form. Don’t bet against him!
Winnipeg? Winnipeg??? Oy...
Off topic a little but in response to the discussion about the defensive makeup for next season and assuming that Hannan is not resigned and Poti does not make a full recovery does anyone here think that Orlov could crack the lineup.
Proud to be a Caps fan. Its a Great Day for Hockey.
It’s hard (for me) to see Orlov making the team. A cup of coffee here and there, sure. But not the full season.
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4
I was disappointed by him this year. I had solid and not unreasonable expectations for him to be a top pair with Green. But between his and Green’s injuries he saw a lot of different partners and he never seemed to find a good rhythm in his pairings. I don’t know whether this is because he is still young and developing or if he is not the dominant partner so it’s harder him to adjust. Or maybe he was just having a bad year. I might have gone lower but I cut him slack for the injuries and for his bout with mono last summer.
To get a 10 he needs to work on his strength and conditioning. And his skating. (After all Erskine improved his skating speed last summer with special coaching. And who knows how slow Brooksie would be without his work on skating technique.) I expect Schultz to return to his dominance of last season—in form at least because I recognize that the whole team did remarkably well and unsustainably high in numbers last season. This team needs more than just one solid and top notch defensive pairing next season. He and Green need to be a force again.
"Hockey won’t hold still for a portrait. To gain a glimpse inside you join it in progress—just as the players do." Epilogue of 24/7
2
Thoughts on his season this year: aosinf asfoi3uhn3ihjynoiyhjhgjmsdggdsjgio.
10 next year? Develop some rapport with Wideman and get back to how he was in 09-10. That’s pretty optimal of what you want for a guy making 2.75m/yr with a shot slower than evolution (yes I stole that from C&B, thank you very much)
Comrades, leave me here a little, while as yet 't is early morn:
Leave me here, and when you want me, sound upon the bugle-horn
3
Big disappointment for an ardent supporter of Double Nickel. I figured there’d be an inevitable boxcar backslide coming off a career year, but here’s hoping the decline is due to injury/illness—says here it is—and he comes back next year to perform at a level close to 09-10. Laced up with Green for a full year, facing softer minutes, could facilitate that. Perfectly fine 2nd pair type, but needs to hook up with John Erskine’s skating guru and stay away from DuPont Circle this summer.
I root harder for the doomed.
by bigonetimer on Jun 8, 2011 4:24 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
3
The moment Mike Green disappeared, Schultz looked terrible. It also seemed like he had a lot of “doh” moments, and moments where he ended up putting the puck in his own net.
Bruce Boudreau when asked about Brooks Laich's return to the lineup, he said: "He just adds another dimension to our team. If it was puzzle, he just fits that thing. He completes us."
Brooks Laich completing everything from teams to tires and everything in between.
4
He showed less than I expected, but I’ll reduce the deductions due to injury, inconsistent linemates, and overall decline in team scoring.
To get a 10, he’d have to improve on 2009-10 numbers and get more physical – more hits, fewer hugs. I keep hearing that defensemen mature around 25 and have their best years in the 26-32 range – I’d be willing to see if that’s true with Schulz because at 2.75M/yr through 2014, it doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving anytime soon. I can’t see him being in high demand throughout the league, especially with three years left on that contract, so I think we’re stuck with him for now.
I disagree with that, He’s good enough for his salary that the Caps could move him if they wanted to. Look at the other guys in his range.
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