You could say ‘Saved by the Bell’ or, rather, saved by the start of 2019 Rookie Camp after the Vegas Golden Knights finally signed Jimmy Schuldt to a new deal.
After an off-season full of drawn-out negotiations, the Vegas Golden Knights thrashed out a one-year contract with their young defenseman, worth an average annual value of $850,000. It is also worth noting that it is a one-way contract.
That is significant because Schuldt is one of five stud rookies aiming to slug it out for a blueline spot on the opening night roster, and this deal appears to suggest that the 24-year-old is very much the frontrunner to win the job.
This contract also wraps up the off-season for the Golden Knights who have now conducted all of their remaining business with Schuldt their only remaining restricted free agent. They will now enter the year just under the 2019-20 cap ceiling of $81.5 million.
This news was first reported by our good friend Jesse Granger of The Athletic.
🎥 Schuldt: When you're a kid, you dream of playing in the NHL and signing a contract to get that opportunity. It's something that I'm really excited about. pic.twitter.com/4XjOdv656J
— 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 5, 2019
There was some concern that Schuldt would miss some time due to his ongoing contract situation, but he was present at Vegas’ training facility yesterday to put pen to paper on his new deal before getting down to business for the opening day of 2019 Rookie Camp.
It is fair to say that this one-way, one-year contract will act as a prove it deal for Schuldt who will have the opportunity to impress both the front office and coaching staff throughout 2019-20, prove he has what it takes to flourish in the NHL and, as a result, win a longer contract next summer.
The Golden Knights do have high hopes for Schuldt after he turned down 29 or 30 other NHL teams to sign as a free agent in Sin City back in April, coming off a stellar year for St. Cloud University in which he led all National Collegiate Hockey defensemen with 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists), exploits that earned him the honor of becoming a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the Top National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s ice hockey player.
Schuldt is also the first player to be named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in back-to-back seasons (2017-18 & 2018-19), and he has a high ceiling when it comes to his potential so the scene is set for the left shot to now go and show what he can do in the NHL.
And he did display signs of what could be to come after logging an impressive 21:03 minutes of ice time against the LA Kings in the 2018-19 regular season finale, even tallying a helper on Valentin Zykov‘s goal.
Jimmy Schuldt, who was also the Captain for three straight seasons for St. Cloud University, will now report to the Anaheim Rookie Faceoff Tournament this weekend where he will be striving to compete for a spot on the Vegas Golden Knights blueline along with Nic Hague, Zach Whitecloud, Jake Bischoff and Dylan Coghlan.
Given that Schuldt is now operating under a one-way contract, it is fair to assume that Schuldt will have a role to play for the Golden Knights in 2019-20, and it will be down to the other four rookies to try and force themselves into the picture should injuries strike at any point.