That's right. Jeff Schultz, the former Cap who was signed this offseason by the Kings, will make his team debut tonight with Robyn Regehr out of the lineup.
Schultz is a 7-year NHL vet, with 29 playoff games under his belt, all in a Caps uniform.
The 28-year old had a relatively strong year in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs, and was called up a few time to the Kings but never dressed. In 67 games he had 11 points and was a plus-10 rating.
Considered a depth signing by the Kings in the offseason, Schultz was once the NHL's leading man in the plus-minus category. In 2009-10 Schultz led the league with a staggering plus-minus rating of +50. However, his play slipped the following seasons and many considered the 2009-10 season an anomaly on a very high powered Washington team. However, he was widely considered an insurance policy in case the health of Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell didn't pan out well, and that is looking like a decent move at this point.
One thing you'll notice right off the bat about the defenseman is that he is HUGE. Standing at 6'6 and 225 pounds, Schultz will be the biggest skater dressed for the Kings tonight. Other than that, you won't notice much about the Calgary native. He plays a rather low-key, error-free game, relying on positioning and defensive reads.
According to Jon Rosen, Schultz was taking rushes with Slava Voynov during the morning skate.
Jeff Schultz taking rushes with Slava Voynov.
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) May 5, 2014KingsVision also caught up with him after practice yesterday.
The loss of Regehr is a tough one, as the veteran has elevated his play in the playoffs considerably. While it isn't an ideal situation to have both veterans Robyn Regehr and Willie Mitchell out, the Kings have the depth still. However, they will be asking a lot out of Alec Martinez and Matt Greene in terms of picking up minutes and quality of play. Martinez seemed to respond well last game to the increased role, playing a season high 28 minutes while contributing a goal on one end and a game saving block on the other.
Back to Schultz. He is a vet, who has 428 games of NHL experience under his belt. He shouldn't look out of place. In all honesty, Schultz is probably a 5-6 defenseman on half the teams in the NHL right now. He'll likely play low risk minutes, and I venture he will do just fine. I could be wrong, and maybe he scores three own goals and accidentally checks Drew Doughty through the glass at Honda Center.
With Manchester getting eliminated in the first round of the AHL playoffs (boooo) the Kings have several players at their disposal as well, including defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk and Andrew Campbell. If Schultz can't cut it, there are other options. Although the experience factor with Schultz is definitely a benefit in these big game scenarios.
Little has been said about the injury Robyn Regehr sustained, but we do know that it is a body injury. Yup. Either lower or upper. Maybe even sidal. It is a body injury though for sure. This adds Regehr to the list which includes Willie Mitchell. Mitchell was sidelined at the end of the Sharks series with an apparent knee injury. Again though, little has been said on these injuries and it will likely stay that way until August.
Puck drops for Game 2 later on tonight. Can the Kings steal another? We shall see.
Follow me on twitter for news and notes about the Kings and the NHL