For much of his first three campaigns with the Penguins, Justin Schultz skated alongside loquacious Ann Arbor, Mich., native Ian Cole and played what was largely the best hockey of his career.
That marriage came to an end last season as Schultz was primarily being teamed with Olli Maatta while Cole was jettisoned to Columbus at the trade deadline.
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At the dawn of the 2018-19 season, it appears Schultz could find himself paired with Jack Johnson, another native of the Great Lakes State who possesses the gift of gab.
While they primarily skated with different partners during Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena, Schultz and Johnson have logged a common 20:06 of 5-on-5 ice time this preseason according to Natural Stat Trick. It’s the second-most-common defensive pairing the team has deployed in 5-on-5 play so far in the preseason:
Only the duo of Juuso Riiokla, a Finnish import playing in North America for the first time, and Zach Trotman, a journeyman likely bound for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, has seen the ice more often through four exhibition contests.
“Obviously, Jack is a pretty steady defending defenseman,” Mike Sullivan said. “He has good mobility. He defends hard. He’s good with that first pass. (Schultz) is a guy that’s got great offensive instincts. Has good mobility. So they can potentially complement one another.”
On paper, they certainly seem to be a sound union. Schultz (6-foot-2, 193 pounds) is a lithe puck mover with an abundance of offensive ability, particularly when it comes to passing. Johnson (6-foot-1, 221 pounds) is a stout defender who can throw the body around. And he possesses one of the hardest shots on this roster.
“He’s got a bomb,” Schultz said of Johnson. “He’s very skilled. Probably underrated how skilled he is. When he shoots it, it definitely goes hard.”
“He’s been great,” Johnson said of Schultz. “He handles the puck well. He makes good plays. He’s easy to play with.”
Aside from the bolted-on-top duo of Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang, the Penguins’ bottom two pairings seem to be works in progress.
Sunday, Schultz skated primarily with Riikola (9:51) while Johnson was paired primarily with Maatta (11:10). That partnership involved two left-handed shots and had Johnson manning the right side.
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“I don’t think about it too much, to be honest with you,” Johnson said when asked about switching sides. “Some shifts on the right, some shifts on the left. I just go out and play. I don’t really think about difficulties adjusting or anything. I just go out and play hockey.”
Johnson’s ability — and willingness — to man either side of the ice multiplies the Penguins’ options for configuring defensive duos. Riikola and Jamie Oleksiak are also southpaws who can switch to the right side. In contrast, left-handers Cole and Matt Hunwick struggled at times when moved to the right.
“Jack can play both sides,” Sullivan said. “He can play the right side. We thought we try him with Olli for a little while and see what that would look like. If Olli and Jack show some chemistry, that could be a defense pair that could play against any line in the league. Obviously, we have (Dumoulin and Letang) that can play against anyone. We’re just trying to explore different combinations to see what might jump out at us. The encouraging thing is that we have options with the people that we have. We’ve got Jamie Oleksiak that can play the right side, and Jack Johnson can play the right side as well.”
A potential Johnson-Schultz duo would offer an ideal lefty-righty pairing, similar to what Schultz had with Cole — another thick body who wasn’t afraid to mix it up physically.
“Both have been around for a while and know how to play the game the right way and are good pros,” Schultz said. “You can always rely on them. Those are guys that are just easy to play with.”
And much like Cole, Johnson isn’t particularly hushed.
“Not as chatty as Ian,” Schultz said, “but he definitely talks on the ice.”
Much like Schultz (as well as Oleksiak or even Cole at one time), Johnson arrives in Pittsburgh trying to re-establish his credentials as an NHLer. The No. 3 overall pick of the 2005 draft, Johnson was the Blue Jackets’ No. 1 defenseman at times during his tenure in Columbus but stumbled last season and finished the campaign as a regular healthy scratch.
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Schultz’s career underwent a course correction after arriving in Pittsburgh in a 2016 trade.
“This is an easy place to come to and learn,” Schultz said. “You’ve got all the resources here. Good coaches and great teammates that have won a lot. It’s a great place to be.”
“I know I can play,” Johnson said. “The way things ended last year won’t affect me at all. That’s why I ended up here. I’m just looking forward to a fun season. Looking forward to a long season. When you’re having fun and all those things, the hockey part of it come along, too.”
Notes
— Following the game, the Penguins assigned Tobias Lindberg, Jimmy Hayes, Adam Johnson, Joseph Cramarossa, Thomas Di Pauli, Teddy Blueger, Sam Miletic, Sam Lafferty, Anthony Angello, Linus Olund, Garrett Wilson, Ryan Haggerty, defensemen Chris Summers, Stefan Elliott, Will O’Neill, Jeff Taylor, Ethan Prow and goaltender John Muse to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Lindberg, Summers, Muse, Elliott, Hayes, Prow and Wilson must formally clear waivers before joining the AHL Penguins.
— The contract of Freddie Tiffels was formally terminated. The native of Germany signed with Kolner Haie in the DEL.
(Photo of Jack Johnson by Jeanine Leech / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)