2012 Free Agency: Rangers Expected To Make Aggressive Push For Justin Schultz

With Anaheim Ducks draft pick, Justin Schultz officially becoming a free agent one June 25th, expect the Rangers to be very aggressive in an attempt to sign the young defenseman. Schultz is coming off his junior season over at the University of Wisconsin, where he put up 16 goals, 28 assist, for 44 total points in 37 games. The Rangers have some holes in the bottom six, and would love to add his skill set into the lineup. According to Larry Brooks, "[The] Rangers will do whatever possible to sign Schultz to Entry Level deal, as will all clubs on [his] expected 5-7 team list "

The 21-year-old, Kelowna, BC native will fly to Toronto today, where he will will meet with his agent Wade Arnott at Newport Sports office. Starting tomorrow, Schultz and his agent will start fielding offers from all teams that are currently interested in his services. The unique thing about this situation is that money has no upper hand in negotiations, as he will be getting an entry-level deal with equal amounts of money.

Therefore, Schultz will make his decision based on playing time, coaching style, teammates, the team's city. The Rangers have an advantage in just about every category. As I said before, they have some holes in the bottom six where Schultz can easily slot in, Tortorella plays hard-nosed hockey where he loves his defensemen to get involved in the play. He was also teammates with current Rangers, Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh in his freshman year over at Wisconsin, and he will be playing in one of the biggest hockey markets in the NHL, not to mention an original six team.

We shall see how this whole situation turns out tomorrow. What do you guys think about all of this?