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5 NHL Players Who Won’t Sustain 1st Half Success

By Alex Vanderlaan

Jan 11, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /
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NHL Players: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz (4) carries the puck up ice against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Players: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz (4) carries the puck up ice against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Justin Schultz, D, Pittsburgh Penguins

When Kris Letang went down with an injury, Justin Schultz capitalized on his chance to take Letang’s spot as the Penguins top defenseman.

Schultz is currently 4th in the NHL among defensemen with 30 points. In his career, he’s never posted more than 33 in a season. Playing on a power play with the likes of Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin will go a long way to providing those type of results.

NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins at Minnesota Wild
NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins at Minnesota Wild /

In the month of December alone, Schultz had 18 points in 15 games and was the highest scoring defenseman in the league. He’s back on a point per game pace in January (9 assists in 9 games), but 4 of those assists came in a wild 8-7 victory over Washington. Don’t except more of the same from Schultz going forward.

Letang has currently been listed as week to week by the Penguins. He has been in and out of the lineup all season due to various ailments, participating in only 30 games to date.  When he returns, he will resume his duty as the point man on the Penguins power play. In addition, he eats a lot of minutes, which will cut into Schultz’s playing time. In the month of November, when Letang was healthy for the majority of Pittsburgh’s games, Schultz managed just 4 points in 14 games.

When Letang returns to the Penguins’ defense corps for good, it will likely spell the end of Schultz run as a top scoring D-man. Even if Letang is out for longer than expected, Schultz’s career trends would suggest that his current scoring pace won’t be sustained.

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