Almost 10 days into NHL Free Agency, a former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman is still available. Who is he, and where has he recently played?
When browsing the list of available free agents still on the market, former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz remains unsigned.
The 34-year-old skated with the club from 2015 to 2020, winning two Stanley Cup rings in 2016 and 2017.
When digging through his contract details, Schultz usually finds a home two weeks after free agency opens. In 2022, he left the Washington Capitals and signed with the Seattle Kraken on July 13, 2022.
Schultz spent the last two campaigns in the Pacific Northwest, collecting 60 points in 143 games with Seattle. Unfortunately, last season, he was a career-worst minus-23, which drops his career plus/minus total to minus-57.
Schultz Doesn't Always Sign Deals on Opening Day
When Schultz left the Penguins in 2020, he wound up with their long-time rivals, the Capitals, agreeing to a two-year deal on the first day of free agency.
After his trade from the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 27, 2016, he did not sign an extension in Pittsburgh until July 13, 2016, almost two weeks after being eligible.
However, a year later, when he intended to stay with the Penguins and sign an extension, former General Manager Jim Rutherford got his signature on a new three-year contract on July 1, 2017.
Earlier in his career, Schultz signed his first NHL contract with the Oilers in 2012, four years after the Anaheim Ducks drafted him in 2008.
Once his entry-level deal expired in 2014, he waited an entire summer, agreeing to a one-year pact on Sep. 7, just days before preseason hockey started.
Then, when he signed his final contract with Edmonton, he waited 15 days into free agency to get a deal done on July 15, 2015.
As the fifth-highest-scoring unrestricted free agent (26 points) left on the board, there are teams out there looking for a right-handed defenseman who brings a plethora of experience on a potential bargain contract.