Justin Schultz Makes Huge Decision On His 2024-25 Team

We noted last week that unrestricted free agent defenseman Justin Schultz was still waiting for the right opportunity in the NHL to come along, and that he would consider moving overseas if that didn't materialize. That has come to fruition, as the 12-year veteran has signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League.

Long-time NHL Justin Schultz has signed with Lugano in the top league in Switzerland, the National League:https://t.co/nSMQhWTFHg
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) October 23, 2024

It's a one-year contract for the 34-year-old Schultz. He spent the last two seasons with the Seattle Kraken, and has also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals. He is a two-time Stanley Cup winner from his days with the Pens.

Schultz is a fine puck-moving blueliner who has registered 71 goals and 253 assists for 324 points in 745 NHL games. He does, however, own a career plus/minus mark of minus-71.

He was a second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL Draft (43rd overall) but never signed with them, instead eventually joining the Edmonton Oilers, where he became a top-four D-man for them. In Pittsburgh, he was similarly relied on, and his climax came in the 2016-17 season when he posted a career-high 51 points in the regular season with a +27 rating and 13 points in 21 playoff games on the way to a Cup.