Penguins bring back Justin Schultz with one-year, $1.4 million deal

Justin Schultz found a home with the Pittsburgh Penguins after being dealt in February from the Edmonton Oilers. On Wednesday, he extended his stay by another year in hopes of winning a second Stanley Cup.

The Penguins announced that they’ve re-signed the 26-year-old blue liner with a one-year, $1.4 million deal. It’s quite a pay cut considering Schultz made $3.9 million last season.

After being miscast in Edmonton, Schultz entered Mike Sullivan’s system with the Penguins and was a great fit. He made the most out of his limited role and was effective on the power play in the postseason, with three of his four points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs coming with the extra man. He also joins Kris Letang as the only right-handed shots on the Penguins’ blue line.

Schultz will remain a restricted free agent when this deal expires, allowing him to showcase his play and work toward a bigger, longer deal next summer – whether that’s with the Penguins or elsewhere remains to be seen.

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford still has work to do on his roster before opening night. After signing Schultz, Pittsburgh is currently $2.3 million over the salary cap ceiling, per General Fanager, before any LTIR (Pascal Dupuis) usage. Does this also mean Oskar Sundqvist will take the center spot on the fourth line considering he’s signed for one more year or will there be some maneuvering to find space to bring back Matt Cullen?

“The door is open. There’s no time frame. I’m really hoping he comes back. He’s trying to make that decision,” Rutherford told Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think he would like to play. We have a number established that fits into our cap. It does not represent what his worth is to the team based on what he did last year. But it’s the position we’re in. If he doesn’t come in, we’ve got Oskar Sundqvist ready to go in that position. Ideally, I’d like Matt to come back for another year [and] let Oskar to continue to develop in [Wilkes-Barre/Scranton]. If doesn’t play out that way, we’ve got the position covered.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy