What is Schultz's redeeming quality this season? Search all you want but there isn't one.
Cool story bro.
Schultz was a big part of the reason the Wild went on that winning streak. He was the steady hand on a blueline full of rookies.
Schultz is the classic guy that people rip on because he doesn't get more than 15 points, and like every defenseman not named Lindstrom, he can have a rough game a few times a year. But once he's gone, everybody starts to wonder why the hell the team is giving up significantly more goals than he used to.
I don't think the knock on Schultz was that he doesn't put up points. Think everyone knows his game at this point. The critique was more that he has been out of position defensively quite a bit this year, as well as the offense dying when the puck touches his stick. He just isn't that good this year.
Schultz was a big part of the reason the Wild went on that winning streak. He was the steady hand on a blueline full of rookies.
Schultz is the classic guy that people rip on because he doesn't get more than 15 points, and like every defenseman not named Lindstrom, he can have a rough game a few times a year. But once he's gone, everybody starts to wonder why the hell the team is giving up significantly more goals than he used to.
So in essence, you've got nothing?
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After Meaningless Win - 3/29/12 - Game 77 | SoH-"Who knows, that could have cost us a Cup tonight." | Dooohkay
You are the one making the affirmative statement that Schultz has been worthless this season without really backing it up.
What do I really need to back it up with, exactly? He's been an absolute disaster in the defensive zone all season. Just go back and watch highlights, specifically opposing goals most nights, and see just how bad he's out of position or fails to make any sort of play. Combine that with his lack of physicality, terrible gap control at the blue line, complete inability to make a pass that isn't D to D, and being an utter nonfactor once he's past the red line, well; to me that adds up to being the worst defenseman on roster outside of Zanon.
What do I really need to back it up with, exactly? He's been an absolute disaster in the defensive zone all season. Just go back and watch highlights, specifically opposing goals most nights, and see just how bad he's out of position or fails to make any sort of play. Combine that with his lack of physicality, terrible gap control at the blue line, complete inability to make a pass that isn't D to D, and being an utter nonfactor once he's past the red line, well; to me that adds up to being the worst defenseman on roster outside of Zanon.
I agree. Schultz has been horrid in our own end. I'd like to see him traded and Lundin signed to replace him but I can only hope so much. He seems to just stand there and watch as the other team passes around him (and through him).
Yea, Schultz is playing really bad this year, always making bad decisions, easily knocked off the puck or battles and his actions are all predictable. But, other than injury i dont see him being scratched or even traded at this time, especially since he is our AC and must be very influential in the locker room. Guess we should stay riding the wave and hope he gets better.
What do I really need to back it up with, exactly? He's been an absolute disaster in the defensive zone all season. Just go back and watch highlights, specifically opposing goals most nights, and see just how bad he's out of position or fails to make any sort of play. Combine that with his lack of physicality, terrible gap control at the blue line, complete inability to make a pass that isn't D to D, and being an utter nonfactor once he's past the red line, well; to me that adds up to being the worst defenseman on roster outside of Zanon.
Zidlicky has all of those terrible qualities and more. Just because he has one 3-point game doesn't erase that.
Schultz hasn't been a stud this year, but he's played fine. His gap control is good. He clears the front of the net so Backstrom can see the puck significantly better than the majority of the blueline. He damn good at preventing sure-thing goals and trapping the stick of the opposing forwards.
Lundin, Zanon, and Zidlicky have all been a lot more inconsistent. Zanon' breakout is pitchforking it up the glass. Lundin has had good games, and some games where he's played incredibly weak. If Zidlicky is forechecked, it's game over.
I just watched the last ten games (25 goals against i think). That has been the worse stretch of the year for the Wild. Schultz was on the ice for about of third of the goals, which is about what is expected because there are only 3 defense pairs and he played against a lot of the other teams better players. However, only 2 were semi-on him. In the rest, he was the only defender who did the right thing and successfully took out his man.
1. Galiradi's in the Colorado game where he lost some of his gap when Galiradi made a strong, quick move to the center of the ice. Two avs and two wild defenders were crashing Backstrom's crease, screening. Yes, Galiradi got off a good shot, but that goal was mostly due to screen on Backstrom.
2. Toews sick goal from out of the corner. Schultz got stuck in no-mans land, went down to block a pass across the top of the crease, and Toews just de-pants him. Too bad Toews first beat Cullen AND Lundin, putting Schultz is the ****** position of taking the Toews or leaving Patrick f---ing Kane sitting alone on the backside of the crease. He was screwed the moment Lundin let Toews burn him.
That's it. Those are the all horrible, no-good, terrible, rotten plays by Schultz in the worse stretch of the season.
He has one job, and only one job, and that's to be solid defensively. We may rip on Zid, and he may screw up (a lot) but his job isn't really to be solid defensively, he's supposed to help create offense. He's going to screw up, and he's going to need to be bailed out by his d-partner and goaltender, but that's what you get from an offensive defenseman. That's their role, that's what they do. Feel free to criticize Zid's offensive game this season. It hasn't been where it should be.
But Schultz has one role, and he has utterly failed at it. There's a reason he hasn't been on the "top pairing" pretty much at all this year. It's because Yeo knows he can't trust him to be reliable in that regard.
Schultz's QUALCOMP is not significantly higher than Zidlicky's, and is only 4th on the team (Lundin, Spurgeon, Scandella). That's despite the fact that he has the worst 5 on 5 goals differential on the defense (-6). Only Lundin has a worse GFON/60.
He has been brutal, and has had no redeeming qualities in his play this season.
There's a presumed "insider guy" who told me the Wild (And a couple of other random teams) *could* be interested in Chris Campoli. Then, I replied it can't be right and the Wild have 9 defensemen. He replied the Wild will ship one of their young defensemen like Faulk, Prosser for offensive help. I corrected him saying it's Falk, not Faulk. Finally, he replied "yes Falk".
Anyways, just check my Twitter timeline for the lulz.
we are indeed focused on improving our D. Fletcher acknowledged it wasn't where we wanted it when talking earlier this year. Wouldn't be surprised if we try to add someone and ship off a couple of our extras; I only hope we don't give up any of our forward prospects if its for a second pairingish kind of guy.
i know, man. I meant the speculation wasn't completely off base like when someone says we need a center for the future in a trade proposal thread. We are looking at D, and the best scenario is to get someone to swap with us. Stoner and Falk are redundant, for instance. I wouldn't mind swapping one of them for Campoli just for a change of scenery.
Russo: Anaheim's desperate, and lots of talk that Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry could be had. Hey, pipedream maybe, and it would take a monster package.
But Fletcher did have a monster hand in drafting each.
