Schultz has missed the past 53 games after fracturing his left leg on Oct. 13. He'll be a game-time decision for Saturday's contest against the Calgary Flames.
The 28-year-old Schultz tallied four assists in four games this season before the injury.
His return to action comes as the Penguins occupy the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. However, they're just three points up on the Carolina Hurricanes after going 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
The Oilers talked to Puljujarvi's agent Markus Lehto on Friday, and a deal could be made for a proper return, Rishaug added.
In the meantime, the team is considering sending Puljujarvi to the AHL for a stint with the Bakersfield Condors in an effort to help boost both his offense and confidence, but no decisions have been made at this point, according to Rishaug. The Condors offer a great opportunity for the young forward, as the team is currently riding a 13-game winning streak and sit atop the AHL's Pacific Division.
Selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-4 talent has struggled at the NHL level. In 138 career games, Puljujarvi has tallied 17 goals and 37 points, ranking him 13th among members of his draft class.
The Finn is currently in the final year of his entry-level contract.
The abundance of talented pending unrestricted free agents and other notable names who could be available ahead of the NHL trade deadline presents some tantalizing potential deals.
Several surefire Stanley Cup contenders could make their already deep rosters even more formidable, while solid teams looking to close the gap are primed to acquire a major piece that addresses a need. In short, there's no shortage of scenarios that could play out before the clock strikes 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 25.
Here's a handful of deals we'd love to see come to fruition leading up to the deadline:
Predators pounce on Panarin
Artemi Panarin, the most potent weapon on the trade market, would be a perfect fit for a Nashville team in need of a significant offensive boost. The Predators entered Thursday's action with the NHL's worst power play and ranked outside the league's top 10 in goals per game.
General manager David Poile has never shied away from pulling off blockbusters, and he's consummated a rather large one with the Columbus Blue Jackets before.
For the Jackets, the conversation likely begins with Nashville's top prospect, Eeli Tolvanen. Although the Predators would be reluctant to give up Tolvanen for a rental - Panarin has expressed a desire to test the free-agent market - the Predators need to do something to get over the hump, and it's time for them to go all-in for the Stanley Cup.
One would think a package of Tolvanen, a relatively high draft pick, and a roster player like Colton Sissons would be enough for Columbus. If Tolvanen's not involved, the price would conceivably have to be a first-rounder plus a different prospect and a roster player, particularly if the Blue Jackets intend to flip what they get for a player that keeps them competitive in the short term.
Jets deal for Duchene
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
With Nikolaj Ehlers expected back from injury in a few weeks at most, acquiring a center of Matt Duchene's caliber would be a great play for the Winnipeg Jets.
Much like last year, the Jets are likely looking to add to their top six. Just as the club added Paul Stastny for the stretch drive in 2018, Duchene would provide a similar upgrade at an all-important position.
Duchene, a pending unrestricted free agent, is likelier to sign a contract extension than Panarin, so that could increase the price.
The Jets have plenty of depth pieces and a wealth of prospects to offer, including promising defenseman Sami Niku and forward Mason Appleton. Plus, they still have all of their first- and second-round picks for the next three drafts to throw in, as well. A prospect, a pick, and a roster player to acquire Duchene would make sense here.
Flames snag Stone
Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo / Getty Images Sport / Getty
While the Flames don't have much wiggle room under the cap to accommodate Stone's $7.35-million hit or what he'll command on a new deal, general manager Brad Treliving has proven to be one of the most creative executives in the league.
The Flames will probably have to trade away a roster player or two in the offseason in order to keep Stone long term, but Treliving can figure that out in the summer. Acquiring the 26-year-old winger would be the best way for Calgary to keep up in the Western Conference arms race.
Maple Leafs haul in Hamilton
Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / Getty
It's not the most likely trade given Toronto's cap constraints, but a potential Dougie Hamilton blockbuster would add even more fireworks to an already promising deadline while providing the Leafs with another right-shot defenseman for both this season and beyond.
Toronto reportedly doesn't want to deal away Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, or a first-round pick for a rental, but you'd have to think the Leafs would be more willing to offer one or more of those assets in a trade for Hamilton, who has two years remaining on his deal after this one.
They'd probably need to rid themselves of Nikita Zaitsev's contract to make the money work, and that won't be easy. Toronto could make it more enticing by including a prospect or pick in a separate move, or by packaging him with a top prospect or pick in a larger Hamilton swap.
Forward prospects Jeremy Bracco and Trevor Moore, and/or a roster player like Connor Brown - who's on the books for $2.1 million this season and the next - could also be thrown in, depending on the scale of the purely hypothetical blockbuster.
Hamilton would solidify the Leafs' top four for their upcoming playoff run and beyond without significantly compromising the team's future.
Bruins swoop in for Simmonds
Even if star forward David Pastrnak is able to return from injury shortly after the trade deadline, the Boston Bruins will still need another scoring winger. Although Panarin and Stone are intriguing options for the Bruins, Wayne Simmonds makes a lot of sense for Boston and would come at a lower price.
Complicating matters is the fact that Simmonds has the right to submit a 12-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly, and his Philadelphia Flyers have been on a roll lately. But, according to reports, Simmonds and the Flyers haven't made progress in contract talks, and he's reportedly more likely than not to be dealt.
Simmonds would bring a mix of skill and physical play to a Bruins squad that would welcome both, especially come playoff time.
Jeff Blashill might've misplaced his copy of the Detroit Red Wings' promotional schedule.
The Wings' bench boss made Dennis Cholowski a healthy scratch Thursday on the rookie's bobblehead night. The first 7,500 fans who arrived at Little Caesars Arena for Detroit's matchup versus the Ottawa Senators received a bobblehead of the defenseman.
Cholowski's rookie season got off to a strong start, as he picked up eight points in his first 11 games, but he's totaled the same amount of points in the 41 contests since.
The 20-year-old was sent down to the AHL after the game.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Jordan Binnington matched a franchise rookie record with his seventh straight victory, Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice and the St. Louis Blues stretched their longest winning streak in 18 years to eight games with a 4-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.
Joel Edmundson scored early in the first and had an assist on Tarasenko's goal late in the period. Tarasenko put the Blues up 3-0 late in the second period with a power-play goal, giving him nine goals and eight assists during a career-high 10-game points streak.
Robert Bortuzzo scored his second goal of the third period for the Blues, who have their longest winning streak since 2000-01. St. Louis is 14-4-1 in 2019, including 9-2-1 on the road.
Binnington made 21 saves to match Brent Johnson's rookie franchise record winning streak set in 2000-01. Binnington had a shutout in his first career NHL start on Jan. 7 and has two more while going 11-1-1.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 20 shots for Arizona, which has lost six of eight after a ragged opening period against the Blues.
The Coyotes have dominated the series with St. Louis recently, winning the three previous games by a combined score of 17-3. Arizona rolled over the Blues in the first meeting this season on Dec. 1, all but chasing goalie Chad Johnson out of St. Louis by scoring all its goals against him in a 6-1 win.
St. Louis has been a different team since the start of the new year, though, winning behind Binnington and a high-scoring offense.
The Blues jumped on the Coyotes early Thursday night, dominating the puck until scoring 3 1/2 minutes in when Edmundson swept a rolling pass from Jaden Schwartz past Kuemper's right pad.
Tarasenko made it 2-0 with his 23rd goal, lifting his stick waist-high to deflect a pass from Edmundson under Kuemper's left arm.
Tarasenko stretched the lead to three goals late in the second period, one-timing a pass from Brayden Schenn at the left circle for his 24th of the season.
Notes: The teams' final meeting this season will be March 12 in St. Louis. ... Coyotes C Brad Richardson returned after missing 13 games with an upper-body injury. ... Blues LW David Perron missed his seventh straight game with an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
The Blues play at Colorado on Saturday.
The Coyotes host Toronto on Saturday.
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
The Tampa Bay Lightning superstar racked up four points Thursday night in the 6-0 victory over the Dallas Stars, just two days after picking up a goal and three assists against the Calgary Flames. In total, the 25-year-old has 11 points in his last three contests.
Kucherov's recent hot streak is helping him pull away in the Art Ross Trophy race, as he now has 92 points in 58 games. The Russian is now on pace for 130 points - a mark that hasn't been reached since 1995-96, when Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux racked up 149 and 161 points, respectively.
Jeff Skinner's representatives and the Buffalo Sabres are working on a new contract for the productive forward.
Both sides are "solely focused" on getting an extension done, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports. He adds that Skinner's camp and the Sabres are having "some good conversations," but there's still work to be done.
Unlike the situation with Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and the Ottawa Senators, the trade deadline isn't a factor in the Skinner negotiations because he has a full no-move clause and there's been no indication he wants to go anywhere else, according to LeBrun.
Skinner is in the final season of the six-year, $34.35-million pact he inked with the Carolina Hurricanes in summer 2012.
He'll likely receive a sizable raise, as entering Thursday's action the winger ranks second in the NHL with 34 goals in 56 games.
Buffalo acquired the 26-year-old from the Hurricanes last offseason in exchange for prospect Cliff Pu and three draft picks.
Eric Staal has a 10-team no-trade list in his contract, and he's taking full advantage of it.
The Minnesota Wild forward is an unrestricted free agent after this season, but his no-trade list is "vastly populated with all the obvious contenders," TSN's Pierre LeBrun said on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."
Without a contract beyond this season, non-contenders won't be looking to acquire Staal, giving Wild general manager Paul Fenton limited options if he chooses to shop the veteran forward ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline.
Staal was adamant about his willingness to stay in Minnesota following Thursday's practice.
"The way I see it: We're in a playoff spot, and I plan on making the playoffs … here," Staal told Russo. "My goal is to be here - hopefully not somewhere else - and to help us win a playoff spot and continue on."
Staal's only other trade deadline experience wasn't pleasant. In 2016, he was shipped from the Carolina Hurricanes to the New York Rangers and picked up just six points in 20 games with the Blueshirts, ending the worst season of his career on a sour note.
The 34-year-old is one year removed from a 42-goal campaign and has tallied 17 goals and 37 points in 56 games thus far this season.
