Veteran defenseman emerges as prime target for Toronto Maple Leafs

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Graham Montgomery
August 14, 2024 (10:39)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have finished their major moves of the offseason, but veteran defenseman Justin Schultz figures to be a nice depth addition.

Schults, 34, remains unsigned after an up-and-down season with the Seattle Kraken last year. In 70 contests, he recorded 7 goals and 26 points while averaging just 16:28 in ice time per game. That is pretty good offensive production from that position, but he also was dead last on the team in plus/minus at -23. That being said, the Leafs are a more defensively structured team and are also simply much better than the Kraken were last season, which could give the team the opportunity to shelter him more.

Realistically speaking, he likely wouldn't even be an every day player for the team, but he provides an extra right handed blueliner for the team to call upon when needed. As NHL trade talk's old prof puts it:

"The Maple Leafs' current defensive lineup has a solid top four. However, the depth beyond that could be a question mark. Injuries always pop up. The season is long, and the grind is real.

Schultz's ability to play a steady, reliable game could make him an ideal candidate for a third-pairing role. He's not expected to be a top-four defenseman anymore. But, in a more limited role, he can still provide quality minutes. He's also particularly adept at penalty killing or when the team needs to lock down a lead."

According to Capfriendly, Schultz was already the 10th most valuable free agent still available by July 3rd. Since then, several of the players listed above him have signed with teams, including William Nylander's brother Alex, who signed a deal with the Toronto Marlies.

Schultz was recently featured in a DailyFaceoff article where they broke down the top remaining free agents. As they point out, he brings veteran and Stanley-Cup winning qualities to the team, but his defensive deficiencies could be a problem.

A Stanley Cup champion? Check. A two-time Stanley Cup champion? Check. Someone who can confidently play third-pair minutes and play adequately in their own end? Ehhhh, we're not so sure. Let's double-check the numbers on that.

Regardless of his role on the team though, Schultz would almost certainly be coming in on a league minimum contract anyways at this point, so there is not much risk from Brad Treliving's perspective. Perhaps he could even make the team out of camp on a PTO the same way Noah Gregor did last summer.