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Penguins' Justin Schultz diagnosed with concussion

GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 11: Justin Schultz #4 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on February 11, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)
Justin Schultz #4 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on February 11, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz has been diagnosed with a concussion coach Mike Sullivan announced Friday, creating more depth issues for the team’s blue line.

Schultz was slammed hard into the boards by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien a little over four minutes into the second period of his team’s 4-0 Thursday win. After the play, Schultz left and did not return.

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Earlier on Friday, the Penguins announced the defenseman Olli Maatta would miss the next six weeks after undergoing hand surgery. His injury was also suffered against the Jets. Cameron Gaunce and Steve Oleksy were recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by Pittsburgh.

The Penguins added Schultz, a former prized college free agent, from the Edmonton Oilers last season for a 2016 third-round draft pick and he has turned into a steal for the organization.

Schultz is in the middle of a career year with the Penguins with 39 points over 56 games while averaging 19:15 of ice-time per-contest. Schultz also has a plus-2.36 5-on-5 adjusted CF%, meaning the team holds onto the puck more when he is on the ice than when he is on the bench.

Not having Schultz and Maatta could hasten the Penguins’ timeline to make a move for a defenseman. Earlier in the week, general manager Jim Rutherford told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he would like to add a blue liner before the trade deadline.

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Pittsburgh is up against the salary cap, but Cap Friendly pointed out an interesting scenario that could enable the Penguins to bring in some help.

Despite these issues, the Penguins are in pretty good shape in the standings. They have 79 points, which ranks second in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind the Washington Capitals and third in the NHL overall.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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