Role
Schmidt is the old hand on our blue line. He is 6'0", 197 pounds, was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and has one Stanley Cup. He played all 82 games for Utah in 2025-26 with 5 goals and 17 assists for 22 points and a plus-31.
He is a bigger part of the rotation than his reputation suggests. Through seven games he averages 20:47, more than Marino or Weegar. He has 1 assist so far, and he set up Daniil But's goal in the opener.
Outlook
Our take: Schmidt is 35 and the minutes will come down as the season goes on, because Peeke and Simashev are there to take them. He moves the puck well and makes few mistakes, so he works as an insurance policy for the top four.
We expect about 75 games and 20 points, with a lot of the time spent on the second pair.