Justin Schultz isn't worth anywhere near what so many had thought.
Not four years ago, when a loophole in the NHL amateur acquisition process allowed him to declare free agency out of the University of Wisconsin, setting off a midsummer sweepstakes bearing his name.
Not when Edmonton won that sweepstakes, prompting Steve Tambellini, the general manager at the time, to declare: "This is a massive day for the Oilers."
Not when those Oilers won a slew of additional sweepstakes but somehow stayed terrible for four more winters while Schultz disappointed with his point production and dug a minus-78 hole from which his career might never recover.
Maybe Schultz isn't worth it now, either, but Jim Rutherford's Penguins are about to find out. And for better or worse, they'll likely have to find out the hard way.
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Not exactly post-trade euphoria, huh?
Beyond that, Rutherford acknowledged the challenge that Mike Sullivan will face in finding a way to work Schultz into a defense corps that isn't exactly built to protect him.
Think about it: The stamped answer would be to have Schultz get acclimated with a third pairing, but that doesn't apply here. The Penguins' third pairing is Ian Cole and Derrick Pouliot. Each had a couple of assists against Winnipeg, and each mostly acquitted himself well. But neither of those players, to be kind, can carry a partner who's lacking defensively. Cole still has to work to earn Sullivan's trust, and Pouliot still has to show that he's invested in being an NHL mainstay for more than a solitary afternoon.
Rutherford, to his credit, openly recognizes that.