Justin Schultz, meet Sergei Gonchar.

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded for Schultz on Saturday, acquiring the 25-year-old defenseman for a 2016 third-round draft pick. And it'll be up to Gonchar, the former NHLer who's now Pittsburgh's defensive development coach, to fix Schultz.

Schultz is in his fourth season in the league, but it's been all downhill since his rookie year, when he had 27 points in the lockout-shortened 48-game 2013 season. He had 33 points in 2013-14, 31 last season, and has seen his production dip dramatically this season, recording only three goals and seven assists in 45 games.

While Schultz's career began with plenty of hype, playing for the Edmonton Oilers hasn't seemed easy nor fun for him. There was a lot of pressure, and he struggled to live up to it. Under new head coach Todd McLellan, Schultz saw his ice time drop to a career-low 20:08 per game.

The move should help Schultz, as he'll be out of the spotlight in Pittsburgh and simply one of the guys on a far more talented team. Gonchar, an offensive defenseman in his day, should be able to impart some wisdom, and so will Kris Letang, who's one of the best right-handed offensive defensemen in the game.

After three-and-a-half seasons in Edmonton, Schultz has nowhere to go but up. And for his sake, hopefully the playoffs.

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James Reimer priced himself out of Toronto, according to Sportsnet's Damien Cox.

Reimer's $6-million asking price in mid-season contract negotiations with the Maple Leafs helped precipitate Saturday's trade to the San Jose Sharks, Cox said Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada's "Headlines" segment.

"There were brief contract negotiations between the Leafs and the goaltender during the season," Cox said. "But when the asking price came in at six million dollars per season, the Leafs said 'No thanks,' and decided to trade him."

At times this season, Reimer had the numbers to back up such a price, but he was ultimately shipped to San Jose for a package headlined by a fourth-round pick.

Reimer's agent, Ray Petkau, has since taken issue with Cox's report.

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The Edmonton Oilers appear to be setting the table for something bigger.

General manager Peter Chiarelli pulled off a trio of trades over the past 24 hours, all of which involved dealing expiring contracts in exchange for draft picks:

• Justin Schultz to the Penguins for a 2016 third-round pick.
• Teddy Purcell to the Panthers for a 2016 third-round pick.
• Anders Nilsson to the Blues for Niklas Lundstrom and a 2016 fifth-round pick.

While Chiarelli's team appears headed towards another high first-round selection, possibly even the first overall pick, it doesn't mean he'll necessarily be heading to the podium when the picks he acquired Saturday come up at the 2016 draft.

Chiarelli added he may not be done dealing prior to Monday's trade deadline, and that the next couple of days could also be used to set the groundwork for other moves to come.

Part of the issue, the GM said, is not having had the ability to assess his roster at full strength, as centers Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl have rarely been in the lineup at the same time this season.

The potential draft-day addition of Auston Matthews would certainly create a glut of talent at the position - something that Edmonton could solve, should they be put in the situation, by using the potential excess of talent at center to fill holes elsewhere.

Defenseman Eric Gryba represents the lone impending unrestricted free agent remaining on the Oilers' roster, and is a candidate to be dealt prior to Monday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

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The Edmonton Oilers have traded defenseman Justin Schultz to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2016.

The deal closes a chapter on endless speculation regarding Schultz, who was a healthy scratch Thursday for "protection reasons."

"We were trying to add some depth to our defense and we were very pleased to add him," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said.

The 25-year-old moves on from the Oilers after joining them during the 2012-13 season as a free agent out of the University of Wisconsin.

After an impressive rookie season where he notched eight goals and 27 points, Schultz has seen his offensive production drop while criticism about his defensive play grew.

Schultz concludes his time with the Oilers with 28 goals and 101 points in 248 games.

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