San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins. 2016 NHL Playoffs. SCF. Game 1. 05.30.2016. (HD)
PITTSBURGH It was a few weeks after being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins when Justin Schultz lost one of his front teeth.
The 25-year-old defenceman had been carrying the puck up the ice and just as he chipped it into the offensive zone an opposing players stick accidentally chipped loose a Chiclet. The resulting effect is that the gap-toothed Schultz, who also has the unkempt greasy black beard from an extended playoff run, looks more like a castaway these days than a hockey player.
In some ways, its a fitting look for a player who was cast out of Edmonton at the trade deadline but has since found refuge in Pittsburgh.
Its just basically a second chance for me. A fresh start, you know, Schultz said prior to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final against the San Jose Sharks. Im not looking to the past anymore.
It is a past that is full of missed opportunities, miscast roles and unrealistic projections. After leaving college as one of the most highly sought-after free agents in the last 10 years the Penguins, ironically, were one of only four teams that didnt pursue him Schultz chose to sign with the Oilers where he joined a young core that included Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
In his first season, the former second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks scored an impressive 27 points in 47 games and was named to the All-Rookie Team, showing what one-time Oilers GM Craig MacTavish later said was Norris Trophy potential. But four years later, Schultz had accrued a minus-78 rating and was labelled as a defensive liability.
With three goals and 10 points in 45 games this season, he wasnt even putting up points anymore.
Things just werent going well at the end, Schultz said of the Oilers. Then you get traded here and you think Oh man, maybe (winning a Cup) could happen. We got hot at the right time and now were here. You never know what can happen. I definitely didnt think this was possible for a couple more years.
Its not just Schultz who has found an unlikely home in Pittsburgh. From Phil Kessel getting run out of Toronto to Carl Hagelin, who has scored more goals and points in 20 playoff games than he did all year in Anaheim, the Penguins have been a halfway home for castaways and rejects.
I was in a very similar situation in St. Louis, said Schultzs defence partner, Ian Cole. It was tough to get some confidence there. They had an established D-corps and it was tough to get that opportunity. Anytime you get traded, you get a fresh start to prove yourself.
During Schultzs first practice with the Penguins, some of his teammates grabbed his clothes and hung them from the arenas rafters It was a good feeling, said Schultz. Made me feel like I belonged but its how hes been treated on the ice that has made an even bigger difference.
In Edmonton, Schultz had four coaches in four years. He averaged more than 21 minutes as a rookie and 23-plus minutes in his second season in the league. It was too much, too soon for a player who had obvious holes in his game.
What we tried to do since we got him was try to look at his strengths and try to put him in positions where he can play to his strengths were trying to use him situationally so he can play to those strengths, said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.
In Pittsburgh, Schultz has learned that less is more. He is seventh among defencemen with less than 14 minutes per game though he played almost 19 minutes in Game 1. But most of that time is spent in the offensive zone or on the power play. He rarely sees an opposing teams top two lines or is on the ice for a defensive zone face-off or penalty kill.
I havent been playing as much as I did in Edmonton, which I think has helped me, said Schultz, who has been leaned on more since Trevor Daley broke his ankle in the conference final. Just focus on being solid in the defensive end and Ill get my chances.
In Game 1 against the Sharks, Schultz made the most of his opportunity when he jumped into the rush and fired a shot that ricocheted off a Sharks defenceman and landed on the waiting stick of Bryan Rust. It was the kind of play that he had made in Edmonton, except that he also finished the game with a plus-1 rating.
You see that hes a special player, said Cole. He makes a nice D-to-D pass to me and I go up to the wing and then hes gone. And thats the way he should play.
Hes just playing good hockey, said defenceman Brian Dumoulin. Our style of play has fit him, where we just really want to move the puck. It allows him to jump into the rush and be offensive.
For Schultz, its finally coming together. He might not ever win a Norris Trophy or earn a salary of US$3.9-million again. But hes finally enjoying the kind of team success that he was supposed to have in Edmonton.
I love playing here, he said. Its a great group of guys. Its been fun.
Source: http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/justin-schultz-finds-right-fit-fresh-start-with-pittsburgh-penguins
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