Justin Schultz moves on, Conor Sheary hits the waiver wire
A couple of former Stanley Cup Penguins made the news today, so let’s check it out.
Justin Schultz has a new team, and it’s in Switzerland. Schultz played the last two seasons in Seattle after spending two years in Washington once he left Pittsburgh following the 2019-20 season.
Picking up Schultz was one of general manager Jim Rutherford’s best moves. He was a great choice to “buy low” on in the spring of 2016 for a mid-level pick and Schultz ended up peaking at just the absolute perfect time to help the Pens win two Stanley Cups and then have a fighting chance at a few more in the years to come. Then, just as quickly, his career went right back down and he was basically nothing special when he left the Pens at age 30.
Justin Schultz’s NHL career appears to be over, as he’s signed in Switzerland. pic.twitter.com/5cdP0s5IYf
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 23, 2024
Schultz arguably played his best hockey in the spring of 2017, when the Penguins needed him to step up most with Kris Letang on the shelf following neck surgery. Schultz had 13 points (4G+9A) in 21 playoff games in that run, and if we’re digging deep, Pittsburgh probably doesn’t get by Ottawa in the Eastern Conference Final without Schultz’s contributions as one of the best players in the series.
Justin Schultz is officially out of the NHL. An incredible run in 2017 to be the fill-in for Kris Letang.
The Schultz trade was one of the significant pieces to lead the Penguins to back-to-back championships. pic.twitter.com/JKiUS87aEb
— ChelPenguins (@ChelPenguins) October 23, 2024
This is presumably it for the NHL portion of Schultz’s career, and what a memorable one it ended up being. Best of all for him, he gets to keep snapping the puck around and get paid to finish out his career take in a place like Switzerland, which doesn’t suck at all.
One of Schultz’s former teammates made some news too. Tampa has put Conor Sheary on waivers.
Placed on NHL waivers today: Conor Sheary (TB).
The veteran forward carries a $2M AAV and is signed through the end of next season.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 23, 2024
The good news for Sheary is he’s going to get paid, either via a buyout or winding out this contract. The bad news is he is a shell of his former self as a player, scoring just four goals in 57 games last year while dealing with injuries and only playing in a handful of Tampa’s games this season.
Sheary, 32, isn’t super old, but his career has dropped off about as fast as Schultz’s in terms of the peak disappearing in no time flat. In both cases they were at their best in that 2016-19ish era for the Penguins when they were at the top of the mountain in the NHL world. News like today was another reminder of just how fleeting staying at the top of one’s game can be and how quickly the hockey world will end up moving on as time moves on