There’s a big article in the Post-Gazette about what the Penguins must pay to retain D Justin Schultz.
That’s an easy question to answer.
Schultz will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. The Penguins should offer him a four- or five-year deal with an average annual value of $3.8m. If another team tops that offer, the Penguins can match. If the Penguins don’t match, and Schultz leaves, the Penguins get first- and third-round picks by way of compensation. (If Schultz signed for $3,755,233 per year or less, the Penguins would be entitled to a mere second-round pick.)
I would rather have Schultz than a first- and third-round pick. But no team will give up a first- and third-round pick to sign Schultz, a defenseman having his first good NHL season.
Only one RFA has switched teams since 1998. That’s because the compensation is so big. So it’s hard to imagine the Penguins losing Schultz.