Friday, August 29, 2014

Oilers Lock Up Schultz

The last piece of the restricted free agent puzzle has been solved for the Edmonton Oilers, as they re-signed standout defenseman Justin Schultz to a new 1-year deal, worth $3.675 million.

Schultz, who just completed a 2-year entry-level deal out of college has received a bridge deal to what could be a long-term deal next year.  The 24-year rearguard will have to improve on some numbers and help lift the team into a playoff spot to ensure an excellent long-term deal, which may mean, he'll have to carry this team for a little while.

In the 2014 season, Schultz registered 11 goals and 33 points in 74 games for the Oilers, which was good enough for 39th among all defensemen in scoring.  My projections for him should reach around the 45-point mark, which will get him into the conversation for one of the better offensive defensemen in the league.

Salary CapEven with the addition of Schultz to the projected roster, the Oilers still have lots of roster spots to fill.  Seven spots, to be completely honest, and now they only have $8.4 million in salary cap space to use to fill it up.  There will be a big push to fill the spots with their youth and depth players, which will mean they will have space for a move down the road, but it won't likely be a big addition.

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