Justin Schultz will not be returning to the Washington Capitals. Schultz signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Kraken minutes into free agency worth around $3 million per season.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal.

Sounds like Justin Schultz to SEA, 2x$3M-ish

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 13, 2022

Micah is clearly a big fan.

Justin Schultz (2x3m, SEA) is a player who plays the defence position. pic.twitter.com/DWQuDNRJ3q

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) July 13, 2022

Schultz first arrived in DC after signing to a two-year, $8 million contract in October of 2020. Schultz played 120 games for the Caps, recording 50 points (7g, 43a) and mostly playing on the team’s third defense pairing.

Paired with Trevor van Riemsdyk for most of 2021-22, Schultz struggled to keep opposing forwards away from the net. Despite having positive on-ice shot-attempt and expected-goal percentages at five-on-five, the Caps were outscored 51 to 43 during his shifts. This heatmap from HockeyViz outlines Schultz’s impact on opponent shot locations – the red blob directly in front of the Caps’ net indicates those struggles.

Schultz, 32, has played 10 seasons in the NHL.