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Oilers taking Schultz to arbitration

Edmonton Oilers v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, CO - APRIL 19: Justin Schultz #19 of the Edmonton Oilers controls the ball against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on April 19, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Oilers defeated the Avalanche 4-1. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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RFA defenseman Justin Schultz opted not to file for arbitration on Sunday.

On Monday, the Oilers did.

More, from the Edmonton Journal:

The Oilers elected to take defenceman Justin Schultz to arbitration to reach a contract conclusion. It also triggers an opportunity for the club to buy out a player making more than $2.75 million, which would free up more salary-cap room.

Players and NHL teams can continue to negotiate right up until they reach the arbitrator’s doorstep while the buyout window opens briefly for the club given the uncertainty of what the impact a new deal would have on the cap.

Schultz, 25, is coming off a year in which he scored 31 points in 81 games, but was a liability defensively; in addition to an ugly minus-17 rating, he had poor possession metrics and saw his ice time drop by nearly a minute, compared to the season prior.

The rub with Schultz, of course, is his salary -- he earned $3.675 million last season, which is quite a bit given his precarious hold on a spot in Edmonton’s top-six defense. The additions of Andrej Sekera and Griffin Reinhart this offseason could greatly impact Schultz, as could the expected promotion of Darnell Nurse to the NHL level.

While a buyout seems unlikely -- TSN’s Ryan Rishaug figures a deal will be reached -- it does speak to how far Schultz has fallen. In 2012, the Oilers won the “sweepstakes” to sign Schultz after he opted not to ink with Anaheim, and in his first season in Edmonton he finished seventh in Calder voting, after scoring 27 points in 48 games.