Veteran defenseman emerges as prime target for Toronto Maple Leafs
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:
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.
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.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 14 | 417 ANSWERS Veteran defenseman emerges as prime target for Toronto Maple Leafs DO you think Brad Treliving should sign Justin Schultz to the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 250 | 60 % |
| No | 167 | 40 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531249.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531292.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
