Schultz's play peaks while in contract year

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: January 4, 2008 - 1:38 AM

Like his buddy Willie Mitchell did with the Wild in 2005-06, defenseman Nick Schultz is picking a good time to have a great season.

A strong season during a contract year by Mitchell resulted in a four-year, $14 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks. Schultz, 25, is also a potential unrestricted free agent this summer and there's no doubt his stock is rising.

"Every year you want to play well and get better," said Schultz, the Wild's January captain who wore the 'C' for the first time in his six-year Wild career Thursday against Dallas. "Obviously, when you're unrestricted, you want to have a great season. I think everyone's that way.

"But the big thing here is you want to play well for your team and have a good year as a team. When the team does well, players are rewarded."

Schultz sought a long-term deal last summer, but the Wild opted to sign him to a one-year deal after seeing Calgary sign Cory Sarich (Schultz's brother-in-law) to a five-year, $18 million deal and Colorado sign Scott Hannan to a four-year, $18 million deal.

"Everyone saw the unrestricted market for defensemen went up last summer," Schultz said.

But with Kim Johnsson and Brent Burns already signed long-term to big contracts on the blue line, that could mean Schultz will be playing elsewhere next season.

That won't make coach Jacques Lemaire feel comfortable. Lemaire says Schultz, whose 407 games are third in Wild history, is "playing at a different level."

"He's more aggressive, more intense, more physical," Lemaire said. "He's always been intense, but right now I see him very differently than I saw him in the past.

"He's playing with confidence. ... I'd love him to get a few goals, but it's going to come. I'm really excited the way he's playing."

Skoula scratched

Wild defenseman Martin Skoula, a team-worst minus-13 and a minus-9 since Dec. 1, was scratched for the first time this season Thursday. Veteran Keith Carney, scratched 14 times this year, replaced him.

Skoula, 28, had been highly scrutinized since his late slip-up led to San Jose's Jonathan Cheechoo's winner on Monday.

Kurtis Foster and Matt Foy were also scratched. The Stars were playing without defenseman Sergei Zubov (hand).

Etc.

• Assistant GM Tom Lynn said center Mikko Koivu, who's been out 21 games because of a broken leg, will travel with the team to Nashville today, where he'll practice for the first time since being injured Nov. 16.

• Derek Boogaard, who has missed 15 of the past 17 games because of a back injury, has skated the past four days and hopes to travel with the team to Detroit and Chicago next week.

• Two busloads of fans of Matt Niskanen (Virginia High School, UMD) traveled to St. Paul from the Mountain Iron, Minn., area for Thursday's game, the Dallas defenseman's first in Minnesota. He scored his third goal of the season in the second period.