Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz has landed a new gig. The Seattle Kraken have announced that Schultz has returned to the organization in a player development role. Schultz played his final two NHL seasons with the Kraken before signing with HC Lugano of Switzerland's National League during the 2024 NHL off-season. However, the former Penguins defenseman announced his retirement early on in the 2024-25 season after he had six assists in eight games for HC Lugano. Now, he is heading back to the Kraken in his first post-playing career NHL role. Schultz spent five seasons with the Penguins from 2015-16 to 2019-20. In 234 career games with the Penguins over that span, he recorded 22 goals, 91 assists, 113 points, and a plus-43 rating. He also won the Stanley Cup twice during his time with the Penguins. In 745 career NHL games over 12 seasons split between the Edmonton Oilers, Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Kraken, Schultz posted 71 goals, 253 assists and 324 points.
