Comments on: Case Studies in Development Patience: Eric Fehr, Tomas Fleischmann, and Jeff Schultz

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:52:21 +0000

Trade Schultz to Philly. They love lumbering d-men. Send them Theo and Schultz for Kimmo Timonen. They’re desperate enough to make a trade like that.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:08:34 +0000

Nicely done, OFB Team! Fehr and Flash were two of my favorites while in Hershey, so it was hard hearing so many fans criticize them. Hershey fans knew they were capable of so much more, and apparently, so did Boudreau. Kudos to he and the higher ups for sticking behind some of these guys.

As for Schultz.. well, he wasn’t my favorite in Hershey, but neither was Green. It’s really nice to see his improvement from last season. I mean, c’mon.. the video of Schultz being embarrassed by the Rangers’ Dubinsky prior to netting the game winning goal has stuck with many of us when the name “Schultz” comes up. Any improvement would have been a welcome one after that debacle.

As big of a critic as I have been of Schultz in the past, I’m proud of what he’s done thus far for us. Aside from his +/- ranking up there, he also appears a little more physical. Maybe the log jam of D-Men has lit a tiny fire under Schultz. Nothing like some good ol’ competition! At any rate, and like Victor said, Schultz is is doing his job. He’s keeping the other team from scoring, and as a fan, I can’t get mad at that!

By: CapsFan1975

CapsFan1975 — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:48:19 +0000

I’m so glad to see the increased productivity of Flash and Fehr. It has resulted in us having “Top 6″ type forwards on the third line and to weather the periods w/o Ovi and Semin.

Everyone seems to malign Schultz so much. In spite of any mistakes we see him make, he must be doing something right to be a Plus player every year.

The development of this guys, to go along with Ovi, Semin, Green, and Backstrom is just great. Their coming of age is coming with my elder daughter’s coming of age (as she is within a year of Semin, Ovi, Flash, Fehr, and Green) and is just a year older (and a few days) older than Schultz

By: Victor

Victor — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:44:31 +0000

It sounds to me like a lot of commenters are still living in last season. As P&B said, Schultz has improved and is making fewer mistakes–IMO, fewer as the season goes on. Sure, he’s gonna let someone get by him ever now and then, but it’s not like he’s Semin. He’s playing good D every shift and his plus/minus reflects that: He’s currently tied for fourth place, with three others, in the NHL at +15 (of those top six he is the only one with fewer than ten points). Schultz isn’t scoring goals or getting a lot of assists. He’s just keeping the other team from scoring and that’s really what his job is.

By: joyfulleigh18

joyfulleigh18 — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:35:35 +0000

I’m with Eric. I don’t need Schultz to be a banger, great skater, or scorer. I need him to stop doing dumb things in our zone. Maybe he’s improved, but not enough for me to consider him a great asset to our team.

By: pucksandbooks

pucksandbooks — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:16:25 +0000

Well played, Sir, well played indeed. : )

By: J.P.

J.P. — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:10:13 +0000

Don’t forget the best part, Pucks – no matter how many advances you make, you won’t get hit on your way to the goal.

By: pucksandbooks

pucksandbooks — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:34:24 +0000

Now you haters have gone and done it — you’ve succeeded in getting JP to believe I’ve asked Sarge out for New Year’s Eve.

Come to think of it, a date who’s cheap, average-looking, and puts out shouldn’t be tossed from any address book.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:17:27 +0000

I agree that he makes fewer mistakes. I am just afraid that the mistakes that he still makes will be a serious liability come facial hair growth time. No one is perfect but some of the things I still see him doing are as I think one print reporter put it, pee wee league caliber.

Ugh, I can’t stand the “Green makes mistakes too” argument. Everyone can look past those mistakes because of Green’s offensive production. Take that away and what do you get, a shorter Jeff Schultz that plays the body a little more. The end.

By: DMG

DMG — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:12:34 +0000

“If the Caps wouldn’t have wasted a first round pick on Schultz (picked before Mike Green, mind you) then I have to wonder if he’d still be playing with the big boys.”

Look at the behindthenet.ca stats. Look at Ryder’s analysis of the 08-09 season. He’s a productive player; that’s why he’s in the NHL and getting the minutes he does.