With the official start of NHL free agency just three days away, highly touted defenseman Justin Schultz has narrowed his potential list of destinations down to five teams.
According to Twitter reports from TSN analysts Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) and Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie), the five teams that Schultz will meet with are the New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators, the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers. Schultz, originally a second-round pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Schultz left the University of Wisconsin last month, starting a process that gave the Ducks a month of exclusive negotiating rights before he could sign with any team. After one month, Anaheim is out, and the Rangers, Leafs, Senators, Canucks and Oilers are in.
Edmonton, which has not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since advancing to the finals in 2006, may be the biggest surprise on the list. Edmonton has major needs on the blueline, with only two defensemen under contract past the 2012-13 season, and the club's defensive needs had some analysts suggesting that the club might pass on Nail Yakupov in favor of Ryan Murray with the No. 1 pick in last week's NHL Entry Draft, an outcome that did not occur. Landing Schultz, who's from western Canada (West Kelowna, B.C.), would be a huge get for the Oilers, who don't generally compete for top free agents, but have built an impressive collection of offensive talent, led by Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall, the top picks in the last three drafts. Adding a talented blueliner like Schultz could potentially be a game-changer for the direction of the franchise.
The Canucks, meanwhile, are about as close to a "hometown team" as Schultz has, less than a five-hour drive from his home in West Kelowna. Vancouver boasts a strong complement of veteran defensemen to learn from, with Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard all under contract for the next three years (Bieksa and Hamhuis for the next four), while Alex Edler, Andre Alberts and Chris Tanev are all entering the last years of their respective deals.
The Senators may be the biggest shoppers this summer when it comes to defensemen. Only four blueline players are under contract for 2012-13. Two of those, of course, are reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and four-time All-Star selection Sergei Gonchar, not bad examples to be around as a young player. Ottawa surprised in 2011-12 by making the playoffs and taking the top-seeded New York Rangers to seven games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, and adding Schultz would be a key step in keeping the Senators on track.
The Rangers, meanwhile, would offer Schultz the opportunity to play with two of his former teammates at Wisconsin in forward Derek Stepan and defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who helped lead the Badgers to the 2010 NCAA title game. The Blueshirts boast a talented young defensive corps, led by All-Stars Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, emerging shutdown stud McDonagh and the vastly improved Michael Del Zotto, with prospects Tim Erixon and Dylan McIlrath waiting in the wings. Adding Schultz would give the Rangers flexibility in dealing for Columbus Blue Jackets star Rick Nash, as he could make it easier for the Blueshirts to part with Del Zotto and/or one of their prospects on the blueline.
The Leafs, meanwhile, boast a former Schultz teammate of their own in Wisconsin product Jake Gardiner, a sophomore on that 2009-10 team who scored seven goals and assisted on 23 more in his rookie season in Toronto. The Leafs only have five blueliners under contract for next season, so Schultz would have excellent opportunities for ice time.
Wherever he signs, Schultz is bound by the NHL's entry-level salary structure, so money isn't going to be an issue. It's going to be a question of which team is the best fit. All five teams have different points in their favor, whether it's geography (Edmonton, Vancouver), team success (Vancouver, New York), or an opportunity for playing time. It will be interesting to see which route Schultz goes.