17. Nick Schultz – D
10 Seasons, 743 Games, 26 Goals, 102 Assists, 128 Points
Drafted in the 2nd round (33rd overall) by the Wild in 2000, Nick Schultz was a mainstay on the Minnesota Wild blue line for a decade. Well liked by both fans and teammates alike, he often wore the ‘A’ and ‘C’ in Jacques Lemaire’s rotating captaincy.
While Schultz came to the Wild an offensive defenseman, he quickly settled into Lemaire’s defense-first mold and morphed into a true defensive defenseman (even having a stretch of 101 games without a goal). His defense was so highly rated that he was often paired against the top skaters on opposing teams.
Schultz was traded to the Oilers in 2012 for Bloomington native Tom Gilbert. At the time of the trade, Schultz was the Wild’s all-time leader in games. Since then, only Mikko Koivu has passed him.
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