from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

“I think that Justin (Schultz) has Norris Trophy potential and I don’t think there are too many people who disagree with me in that regard.” — former Edmonton GM Craig MacTavish.

The expectations that Justin Schultz and his handlers heaped upon his shoulders when he shunned Anaheim and became an unrestricted free agent back in 2012, only got worse when MacTavish uttered that fateful, flawed statement a couple of years later.

Today, Schultz is a shell of what 29 National Hockey League general managers fought over that June. He is playing out a one-year deal in Edmonton without a goal in 20 games, a so-called offensive defenceman whose point production has not come close to balancing the liability he has been in his own end through 223 career games.

“It’s what I’ve always done in college, junior…” Schultz said, when asked about producing points. “I’ve had trouble in the pro game doing it. I’ll keep working, try and get some confidence, and hopefully go from there.”

He’ll “try.” He “hopes.”

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