Justin Schultz Signs a 1-Year Deal

This morning, the Oilers announced that they have signed Justin Schultz to a 1-year deal worth $3.675 million.  The contract comes in higher than many of us expected, but it looks like the Oilers paid a higher price for a shorter term. Judging from the reaction on Twitter, the Nation is divided on the new deal.

During his press conference, MacT said that the contract “was a good compromise” and that Schultz has “Norris potential” which is part of the reason they landed on a 1-year deal. Throughout the process, I thought Schultz would sign a bridge deal similar to what PK Subban signed 2 years ago – obviously that didn’t happen.  During that bridge deal, Subban won a Norris trophy and established himself as one of the best offensive defenceman in the league – can Schultz do the same? Can he even come close?

To me, a 1-year deal says a couple things. Firstly, the Oilers still aren’t sure what they have in Justin Schultz, and probably weren’t comfortable giving out a long term deal.  Secondly, it tells me that Justin Schultz has a very good agent that was able to sell the idea that his offensive abilities outweigh his defensive deficiencies. It will be interesting to see how this year plays out for J. Schultz.  If he can improve defensively, while maintaining an offensive flair, next year’s negotiations will cost the Oilers a lot more money.  Now the question remains, can he do it? We shall see…

J. Schultz on a 1-year deal – what do you guys think?