Nate Schmidt Backstory
Nate Schmidt had a notable playoff run for the Washington Capitals. However, Washington had to leave players unprotected for the expansion draft. The defenseman was bound to be picked if Philipp Grubauer was not. Vegas did choose Schmidt and instantly the thought was he would be signed.
Schmidt was not and that set the stage for the first arbitration in two summers. The demands were as follows:
Vegas: $975K for 2 years
Schmidt: $2.75 M for 1 year
This is where it gets fun. Let’s introduce the rules quickly.
Arbitration Rules And Reward
If the player files for arbitration the team picks the term, either one year or two. Also, that dollar amount can be anywhere in the two ranges. A team can sign the player before the verdict. However, once a decision is made, the team can either sign the player or walk away.
Teams have walked away before. However, Vegas would have looked silly doing so here. Some argued they already had with the amount they offered. Apparently the arbiter did as well. Schmidt was awarded a two year, $4.45 million dollar contract. Vegas honored it fast to no one’s surprise.
Some did ask why was Nate Schmidt worth so much. The small sample playoff run was only a part of the picture. He is only 26 and Schmidt’s metrics were above average given his average time on ice. Goalies had a .935 save percentage while he was on the ice. That counted for a little bit too.
The thought process was four or five minutes more a night would be worth ‘X’ amount of dollars. It is true if Schmidt gets close to 20 minutes a night of playing time. There is the fantasy value to consider as a result.
Fantasy Hockey Fallout
How Nate Schmidt lands on the depth chart in Vegas will be paramount. On the other hand, young players are going to carry their weight. He had 16 points in 60 games with zero power play time. If he sees any man advantage time, that will be a considerable boon in the deepest of leagues. Shot generation is above average for Schmidt even last year.
Nate Schmidt’s offensive numbers are likely to trend upward. That is the essential point. Even if the metrics take a hit as expected, the fantasy hockey bottom line should not.
Where does one go for a quantifiable number? The honest answer is this. Until training camp sorts out the depth cart, no one knows to be fair. This is based on trend analysis with Nate Schmidt and all signs point to an upward move. It is why he received the arbitration award as listed above.
Could Schmidt wind up with 25-30 points? It is not out of the realm of possibility. Even 20-25 would not be too bad if the shots total ramps upward. If 120-135 shots is possible (assuming 82 games played), the defenseman may wind up surprising many pundits. His across the board peripherals should go up also (blocks, hits, etc.).
Ideally, Nate Schmidt will be available in most fantasy hockey leagues. He is a deep league pick-up and maybe a late draft pick in the best of scenarios. That is, if the defenseman plays his cards right.
