Justin Schultz will be playing this
season -- and for the foreseeable future -- under a mammoth magnifying glass.
And he has nobody to blame but himself.
The 22-year native of West Kelowna
certainly got the attention he seemed to be craving this off-season. Coming off
an impressive -- but hardly unprecedented (Free-Agent Matt Carle, for example,
put up similar collegiate numbers at that age) -- three years at the University
of Wisconsin, Schultz had his pick of the litter among NHL franchises.
A 2008 second-round pick of Anaheim,
the defenseman took advantage of a Collective Bargaining Agreement loophole
that permitted him to explore unrestricted free-agency after refusing to come
to terms with the Ducks.
This year's free-agent market is
lacking in blueliners with offensive upside, so as many as 26 NHL teams punched
Schultz’s digits into their speed dials. And who is he to say no to his adoring
public?
