Justin Schultz Said the Right Words, But Very Wrong Tone

Words are easy to say and tougher to live by. The Pittsburgh Penguins said all of the right things last season, and we later learned the negative things reported about the internal workings of the locker room were true. Sunday, Justin Schultz and the rest of the Penguins locker room said the right words, but the tone, especially from Schultz was not encouraging.

There is no internal drama this season. The struggles are entirely external, from injuries to the absolutely mindboggling loss of details over the past few weeks. From the power play to 5v5 play, the Penguins defense has been hit hard by the failures.

Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz’s words on Sunday were the right words, but as you watch the video, the tone denoted the Penguins bewilderment and their struggles, far more than any hope of reversing the trend.

Schultz has especially come under scrutiny. He has just 10 points (2g, 8a) in 44 games this season, which is the final year of his three-year, $5.5 million contract. Despite the significant power-play time, Schultz is on pace to slip under his worst NHL seasons.

“We’ll be fine,” Schultz said meekly.