Justin Schultz

[Wendel's Fist]

I realize that the media made a circus out of it but even if it didn't..........any kid that's never played an NHL game in his life and is sitting in Toronto waiting for NHL brass to fly in an woo him is going to rub some people the wrong way. Media or not.

That doesn't really make a lot of sense. Why wouldn't you do it in a central location? Wouldn't Schultz flying out to meet the interested teams drag it out for weeks? Doesn't it speak better of him that he wanted to have face to face meeting?

If conducting his free agency in the most absolute boilerplate, non-descript way possible was going to rub people the wrong way than the reality is that nothing he could have done would have prevented that.

I think what he did is going to rub some NHL players the wrong way. Guys that didn't have a choice but to play where they had to. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm not going to discuss Justin Shultz all night. Who cares anymore? Good luck to him but not really.

 

[bustaheims]

I realize that the media made a circus out of it but even if it didn't..........any kid that's never played an NHL game in his life and is sitting in Toronto waiting for NHL brass to fly in an woo him is going to rub some people the wrong way. Media or not.

Umm, that's kind of how it's done in this type of situation. Teams fly out to meet NCAA free agents at their school, their representative's office, etc. If the various media outlets had kept their collective yaps shut, no one other than Ducks fans that felt slighted would care in the slightest about this situation. This whole situation has been entirely media driven. Schultz hasn't said a peep. He decided not to sign with the Ducks, used a favourable clause in the CBA to become a UFA. He met with his agents. He and his agent met with teams. He made a decision. That's the extent of what he's done here.

 

[Kin]

I think what he did is going to rub some NHL players the wrong way. Guys that didn't have a choice but to play where they had to.

Every single player in the NHL had the exact same choice that Schultz did. Again, if them not exercising that choice and Schultz choosing to is going to make them mad then, again, there's nothing he could have done to change that and it's so irrational that he really shouldn't be concerned with it.

 

[Kin]

Umm, that's kind of how it's done in this type of situation. Teams fly out to meet NCAA free agents at their school, their representative's office, etc. If the various media outlets had kept their collective yaps shut, no one other than Ducks fans that felt slighted would care in the slightest about this situation. This whole situation has been entirely media driven. Schultz hasn't said a peep. He decided not to sign with the Ducks, used a favourable clause in the CBA to become a UFA. He met with his agents. He and his agent met with teams. He made a decision. That's the extent of what he's done here.

It's a minor point because I know you're not making this argument but I will say that the idea that Schultz found a "loophole" or something along the lines is a pretty big exaggeration. The "loophole" exists because the NHL can't legally say that a drafted player's rights belongs to a team indefinitely. If they tried, or even tried to extend them to 7 or 10 years, they'd almost certainly be taken to court and lose.

Every single other sport has the exact same loophole. Draft rights expire. Heck, in Baseball you only have a few months to sign players you draft.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

That's a lot of talent on that Oilers team.

Being part of the next Dynasty is I'm sure how they framed it and who can blame him?

 

[Wendel's Fist]

I realize that the media made a circus out of it but even if it didn't..........any kid that's never played an NHL game in his life and is sitting in Toronto waiting for NHL brass to fly in an woo him is going to rub some people the wrong way. Media or not.

Umm, that's kind of how it's done in this type of situation. Teams fly out to meet NCAA free agents at their school, their representative's office, etc. If the various media outlets had kept their collective yaps shut, no one other than Ducks fans that felt slighted would care in the slightest about this situation. This whole situation has been entirely media driven. Schultz hasn't said a peep. He decided not to sign with the Ducks, used a favourable clause in the CBA to become a UFA. He met with his agents. He and his agent met with teams. He made a decision. That's the extent of what he's done here.

Does Wayne Gretzky give most of those NCAA guys a shout? Whatever he does attracts media. Maybe he shouldn't have did that because oh no!!......the media might be involed.

To keep blaming the media is a bit lame when you have Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky phoning the guy. What's the media supposed to do? Not say anything?

The kid hasn't played an NHL game yet. It's one thing to be picked by a team or two like Bozak or Gustavsson were. It's another to be drafted by one and deciding your fate at 21 or 22 or whatever the hell age he is.

How did you find out that we even had a chance with Justin without the media? Or even that we lost out on him? Did Burkie give you a call?

I keep hearing about the hate for the media on these boards but any news that comes in has a quote from one of their twitter accounts.

 

[bustaheims]

Does Wayne Gretzky give most of those NCAA guys a shout? Whatever he does attracts media. Maybe he shouldn't have did that because oh no!!......the media might be involed.

To keep blaming the media is a bit lame when you have Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky phoning the guy. What's the media supposed to do? Not say anything?

The kid hasn't played an NHL game yet. It's one thing to be picked by a team or two like Bozak or Gustavsson were. It's another to be drafted by one and deciding your fate at 21 or 22 or whatever the hell age he is.

How did you find out that we even had a chance with Justin without the media? Or even that we lost out on him? Did Burkie give you a call?

I keep hearing about the hate for the media on these boards but any news that comes in has a quote from one of their twitter accounts.

Are we supposed to blame Schultz for the fact that the Oilers went to the well to get Gretzky and Coffey to call him? And let the media know about it? That's the important thing here - every bit of information the media reported came from the teams, not from Schultz or his agents. They didn't have to report on every little detail, but, they chose to. And yet, somehow, Schultz, who was the least active participant in all of this, is supposed to shoulder the majority of the blame?

If the media has stuck to their actual job - reporting legitimate news - we wouldn't have this situation. Without it, you know when I would have found out that the Leafs didn't get him? When his signing with Edmonton was reported - which was the first piece of legitimate news about Schultz since gave notice that he was leaving school. The rest of it, I could have quite happily lived without. I didn't need hourly updates on the situation, team-by-team in/out notices, etc. All of that entirely unnecessary.

 

[maplesyrup]

I'm actually happy for the Oilers.  :-\

 

[#1PilarFan]

Am I the only one who thinks it a little ironic that we're criticizing the members of the media for sensationalizing Schultz, when we have a 28+ page thread devoted to where he signs?

 

[Kin]

If the media has stuck to their actual job - reporting legitimate news - we wouldn't have this situation. Without it, you know when I would have found out that the Leafs didn't get him? When his signing with Edmonton was reported - which was the first piece of legitimate news about Schultz since gave notice that he was leaving school. The rest of it, I could have quite happily lived without. I didn't need hourly updates on the situation, team-by-team in/out notices, etc. All of that entirely unnecessary.

I do think, though, that it should be said that the hockey media wouldn't conduct themselves the way they do if there wasn't a market for it. You and I didn't need all the hype but there's clearly a lot of fans who want to listen to rumours. Even the ones who post things like "LOL, Eklund is so full of it so I'm going to post tweet after tweet of his so you can see how full of it he is."

So I don't blame them for "creating this". Or the fans, really. I don't blame anyone here. Nothing bad happened. My issue is the idea that the attention that the fans generate and the media provide shouldn't reflect negatively on a guy like Schultz who created none of it and asked for none of it. I'm certainly not going to hold it against him that he's a talented young player that lots of teams want to sign.

 

[Wendel's Fist]

Does Wayne Gretzky give most of those NCAA guys a shout? Whatever he does attracts media. Maybe he shouldn't have did that because oh no!!......the media might be involed.

To keep blaming the media is a bit lame when you have Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky phoning the guy. What's the media supposed to do? Not say anything?

The kid hasn't played an NHL game yet. It's one thing to be picked by a team or two like Bozak or Gustavsson were. It's another to be drafted by one and deciding your fate at 21 or 22 or whatever the hell age he is.

How did you find out that we even had a chance with Justin without the media? Or even that we lost out on him? Did Burkie give you a call?

I keep hearing about the hate for the media on these boards but any news that comes in has a quote from one of their twitter accounts.

Are we supposed to blame Schultz for the fact that the Oilers went to the well to get Gretzky and Coffey to call him? And let the media know about it? That's the important thing here - every bit of information the media reported came from the teams, not from Schultz or his agents. They didn't have to report on every little detail, but, they chose to. And yet, somehow, Schultz, who was the least active participant in all of this, is supposed to shoulder the majority of the blame?

If the media has stuck to their actual job - reporting legitimate news - we wouldn't have this situation. Without it, you know when I would have found out that the Leafs didn't get him? When his signing with Edmonton was reported - which was the first piece of legitimate news about Schultz since gave notice that he was leaving school. The rest of it, I could have quite happily lived without. I didn't need hourly updates on the situation, team-by-team in/out notices, etc. All of that entirely unnecessary.

The rest you could have did without? I don't think so because you followed everything the media had to say about him. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to comment on the circus.


Media or not Busta..........the guy had the Anaheim Ducks interested in him and the Toronto Maple Leafs willing to trade a 2nd round pick just to negotiate something with him and he said.............nah, I'm gonna test the free agent market. Without ever playing an NHL game.

If you don't think that's going to rub some people the wrong way then I don't know what to say.

As much as you might think he's in his rights to do that, it will still bug people. Sorry, but that's reality.

In a sweet world, we'd all hold hands and sing a song for him but I don't see that happening.

 

[bustaheims]

The rest you could have did without? I don't think so because you followed everything the media had to say about him. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to comment on the circus.

I would have been quite happy not knowing any of it. I mean, I knew about it because it was out there, but, if it wasn't, I certainly wouldn't have felt like I was missing anything.

Media or not Busta..........the guy had the Anaheim Ducks interested in him and the Toronto Maple Leafs willing to trade a 2nd round pick just to negotiate something with him and he said.............nah, I'm gonna test the free agent market. Without ever playing an NHL game.

If you don't think that's going to rub some people the wrong way then I don't know what to say.

As much as you might think he's in his rights to do that, it will still bug people. Sorry, but that's reality.

In a sweet world, we'd all hold hands and sing a song for him but I don't see that happening.

It you knew you were a month or so away from basically having your choice of where to play, would you commit to somewhere that may not have been your #1 choice? I highly doubt that and I highly doubt that's true of any NHL player. They all understand what happened here. And, yeah, I'm sure a small minority don't like the way Schultz went about it, but I'm pretty certain the overwhelming majority of the league simply doesn't care about that. The option was available to him in a legal contract that was negotiated with the help of a group of NHL players and ratified by the majority of NHL players. They created this option for him, how upset do you really think they're going to be with the fact that he took it? Outside of a very small minority, not very.

And I don't think he was within his rights to do what he did. I know he was, because A) he did it without causing a lawsuit and B) the CBA explicitly spells out his right to do so.

 

[Kin]

Media or not Busta..........the guy had the Anaheim Ducks interested in him and the Toronto Maple Leafs willing to trade a 2nd round pick just to negotiate something with him and he said.............nah, I'm gonna test the free agent market. Without ever playing an NHL game.

He didn't "test the market" in any meaningful way. He was going to get paid the exact same amount no matter who signed him. All he chose to do was hear pitches from various teams.

There's nothing he did that is in anyway outside of the norm for anyone who has other people interested in them. Nobody made these teams want to sign him.

As much as you might think he's in his rights to do that, it will still bug people. Sorry, but that's reality.

Well, it's not a question of "thinking" that it's in his rights. It's absolutely in his rights. It's written into the CBA. It's the same thing each and every hockey player gets to do if they want.

You may be right that people will get rubbed the wrong way by it but that's a very sad reality and one that really doesn't speak well to the people who it's true of. I don't know if it's jealousy or just never being in a similar situation where they've been in high demand but it's not particularly rational.

 

[Wendel's Fist]

The rest you could have did without? I don't think so because you followed everything the media had to say about him. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to comment on the circus.

I would have been quite happy not knowing any of it. I mean, I knew about it because it was out there, but, if it wasn't, I certainly wouldn't have felt like I was missing anything.

Media or not Busta..........the guy had the Anaheim Ducks interested in him and the Toronto Maple Leafs willing to trade a 2nd round pick just to negotiate something with him and he said.............nah, I'm gonna test the free agent market. Without ever playing an NHL game.

If you don't think that's going to rub some people the wrong way then I don't know what to say.

As much as you might think he's in his rights to do that, it will still bug people. Sorry, but that's reality.

In a sweet world, we'd all hold hands and sing a song for him but I don't see that happening.

It you knew you were a month or so away from basically having your choice of where to play, would you commit to somewhere that may not have been your #1 choice? I highly doubt that and I highly doubt that's true of any NHL player. They all understand what happened here. And, yeah, I'm sure a small minority don't like the way Schultz went about it, but I'm pretty certain the overwhelming majority of the league simply doesn't care about that. The option was available to him in a legal contract that was negotiated with the help of a group of NHL players and ratified by the majority of NHL players. They created this option for him, how upset do you really think they're going to be with the fact that he took it? Outside of a very small minority, not very.

And I don't think he was within his rights to do what he did. I know he was, because A) he did it without causing a lawsuit and B) the CBA explicitly spells out his right to do so.

Brian Burke is within his rights to sign someone to a 10 year deal when A) he can do so without a lawsuit and B) the CBA explicitly spells out his right to do so. SO............do you think he'll do that tomorrow?  Tell me why he wouldn't.

 

[bustaheims]

Brian Burke is within his rights to sign someone to a 10 year deal when A) he can do so without a lawsuit and B) the CBA explicitly spells out his right to do so. SO............do you think he'll do that tomorrow?  Tell me why he wouldn't.

I'm not sure what Burke's personal philosophy towards retirement/cap shenanigan contracts has to do with the Justin Schultz situation, and, even if you can present a legitimate reason why they're connected, Burke's position on the matter still represents a very small minority among those in charge of NHL teams.

 

[Wendel's Fist]

Brian Burke is within his rights to sign someone to a 10 year deal when A) he can do so without a lawsuit and B) the CBA explicitly spells out his right to do so. SO............do you think he'll do that tomorrow?  Tell me why he wouldn't.

I'm not sure what Burke's personal philosophy towards retirement/cap shenanigan contracts has to do with the Justin Schultz situation, and, even if you can present a legitimate reason why they're connected, Burke's position on the matter still represents a very small minority among those in charge of NHL teams.

The point was, just because it's within your rights doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

This is boring when free agency starts tomorrow.

There'll be plenty more to rant about then.

I'll try to be there for you but I'm NOT making any promises. See you then.

 

[bustaheims]

The point was, just because it's within your rights doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

And, just because it's not the way things are traditionally done doesn't make it the wrong thing to do. Every situation is unique, and, in this case, Schultz felt it was the right move for him to take the UFA option that was presented to him. I can't begrudge him that in the slightest.

 

[Kin]

The point was, just because it's within your rights doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

That's an entirely false analogy. Burke's objection to a long term deal like that are because he doesn't think they benefit the team. Not because they're a moral failing.

Nobody here is arguing that what Schultz did is "right" because nobody on this side of the fence is interested in making moral judgments on what he did. What he did isn't right or wrong, it's just something that a player can do.

Until you actually make a case as to why this was "wrong" in spite of the fact that both the NHLPA and NHL are fine with it then it really just comes off as bitterness.

 

[skippy]

I am disappointed, but maybe even a little bit happy for Edmonton. Except our jokes about them are going to be half as relevant as they were yesterday.

Oh well, back to drinking.

I guess Melnyk couldn't convince Schultz to take a Stanley Cup Discount. 

Booooo - go back to the khl skippy

My joke, much like your mother, was an oldie but a goodie.

 

[Britishbulldog]

Am I the only one who thinks it a little ironic that we're criticizing the members of the media for sensationalizing Schultz, when we have a 28+ page thread devoted to where he signs?