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Is Justin Schultz Deal a Bridge to Nowhere?

August 29, 2014, 1:55 PM ET [79 Comments]
Ryan Garner
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
During my 30-odd years on this planet, I’ve had the opportunity to live near some fascinating bridges. In Northern California I lived a few minutes away from the majestic Golden Gate Bridge. The iconic entrance to the San Francisco Bay offers stunning views and—when people aren’t jumping off it to their death—a pleasant tourist destination. In South Florida, I wasn’t far from Seven Mile Bridge. Connecting the Florida Keys, you can still see the gaps in bombed-out sections of the original bridge featured in the movie True Lies. Currently residing in Old Harbour, Jamaica, I’m not far from Flat Bridge. Jamaicans and tourists alike have spent decades crossing the haunting (and supposedly haunted) 45-metre span with eyes closed uttering silent prayers.

While each of those bridges are grim in their own way, none are as ominously named as the Bridge to Nowhere. Located north of Fort McMurray, Alberta—the crown jewel of Alberta and my hometown—the Peter Lougheed Bridge was constructed to further oil sands exploration and expansion projects in the region. However, when developments north of the bridge failed to take root the bridge sat unused, straddling the Athabasca River without reason, like a constipated man squatting over a toilet, for nearly two decades. Today, the Bridge to Nowhere actually leads somewhere, mainly additional oil sands development projects, but the Alberta provincial government had to wait a long time until it could provide justification for building the span.

News broke this morning that Edmonton Oilers defenceman Justin Schultz has agreed to a one-year bridge deal with the club worth $3.675 million. This is good news for several reasons. Most obviously, it means that Schultz will enter training camp with a contract, avoiding a distraction the team needed about as much as another dose of Mark Fraser. It also rounds out the defensive corps, which should (italicized for emphasis) be improved over last season thanks to new additions Nikita Nikitin, Mark Fayne and Keith Aulie, along with the continued development of Jeff Petry, Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, and Schultz himself. However, while everyone remains optimistic for the future, an uncomfortable question has to be asked. Is the Schultz deal a bridge to nowhere?

Entering his third year of professional hockey, the word “potential” buzzes around Schultz like flies around a fresh pile of dung. That’s not to suggest he’s a pile of dung, he’s not. However, the 24-year-old has yet to realize much of that potential, and the clock isn’t just ticking, the alarm has been going for a while now. That might seem unfair for a player who has just 122 games of NHL experience under him, but Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish claims that Schultz possesses Norris Trophy potential. Yep, Norris, the trophy won by men like Orr, Bourque and Lidstrom. I’m not going to say that MacTavish is wrong, or that he’s simply using rhetoric to justify overpaying a largely unproven defenseman, but I haven’t seen any hints of Norris potential in Schultz’s game.

Consider this: Schultz is the same age as Drew Doughty. At this point, I would say the two players are worlds apart in their ability to control the puck, the power play, and the overall flow of a hockey game. I can already hear the arguments brewing, so I’ll list them to save everyone time in the comments.

“Doughty has been in the league for six years, while Schultz hasn’t even played two!”
“Doughty has more than 500 games of NHL experience, including playoffs!”
“Schultz has had to adjust to two entirely different coaching systems! He had to endure the swarm!”
“You don’t know Schultz the way I do. He’s a nice person, and I sincerely believe that he will improve as he gains confidence!”
“Schultz has to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders! He’s just a man!”
“No justice, no peace!”

All of those arguments have been heard, weighed, and digested. However, Doughty was a Norris candidate during his second season in the league, elevating his game dramatically and putting himself on the map as a bona fide scoring threat and shift disturber. Despite being given every opportunity to showcase himself, Schultz hasn’t done that. In fact, if it wasn’t for his highly publicized free agency after bolting from Anaheim, I doubt anyone would know or care who he is. So far, Schultz has provided much more hype than hope, and even the glitz from having 29 NHL suitors line up on his doorstep has faded into shoulder-shrugging over what he is and what he’ll be five, three, or even one year from now.

To my eyes (minus the Leno-esque chin) Schultz appears to be the second coming of Tom Poti, mainly because of the hesitancy he displays in each area of the ice. Like Poti at the same age, he’s reluctant to enter the corners or engage physically. I won’t say Schultz is deathly allergic to the corners, they just results in hives and swelling. While Doughty will run you over (ask Taylor Hall, a regular victim since 2010) Schultz will pokecheck from the periphery, with limited success. He’s reluctant to join the rush or provide a consistent go-to option as a trailer entering the offensive zone, and all but refuses to shoot the puck, just like Poti. The two are mirror images of one another, right down to the numbers.





Like Poti 13 years ago, one has to wonder if the Oilers will give up on Schultz. At some point you lose patience in potential, turning to the proven over promise. Needless to say, there’s a lot riding on the next 82 games, because you can only sell the future for so long, either to fans or possible trade partners. Each bridge, the Golden Gate, Seven Mile or Flat, receives more attention for what it is, rather than where it leads. I suppose the same might be true of Schultz someday, recognized for what he is rather than what he’ll be. This season, only Schultz can determine whether his bridge deal leads somewhere.

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