Pittsburgh's having a good deal with this top defenseman.

Stats and money tell a story.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Pittsburgh's having a good deal with this top defenseman.
Keystone press agency

When Justin Schultz was traded from the Oilers to the Penguins, no one really flinched. The defenseman had good size and decent offensive skills, with 101 in 248 games in Edmonton. 

But this year, things are different. 

 

The stats might seem anecdotal, but it shows how changing teams is decisive for a player. From a team struggling defensively at the time, Schultz joined a scoring machine that let him showcase his skills every night. 

In today's game, you need to get as much production as possible for every dollar you spend on the salary cap. In a way, it's like the Moneyball movie, you build on stats and dollars more than reputations and emotions. 

Jim Rutherford might not be perfect, but adding Schultz in the lineup might be one of his best moves in recent years. He acquired him in 2014 for a third round pick, a cheap price considering his performance so far this year. 

Source: Twitter