His improved play and established chemistry with Morgan Rielly made for a perfect fit in Toronto. Now it's just a matter of finding the right terms on a deal.
His improved play and established chemistry with Morgan Rielly made for a perfect fit in Toronto. Now it's just a matter of finding the right terms on a deal.
Luke Schenn's second-coming with the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn't have worked out better for both the player and the club.
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Acquired as a depth piece from the Vancouver Canucks just days before the NHL trade deadline, it was hard to figure out where the 'human eraser' would fit on the team's depth chart. But as the regular season transitioned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 33-year-old went from a potential 6-7 defenseman to a top-four.
He helped stabilize Morgan Rielly's play. Toronto's No. 1 defenseman had struggled all season to find the right groove until Schenn arrived on the scene. During the playoffs, Rielly exploded for offense with four goals and eight assists in 11 games. The Maple Leafs allowed just two goals when Schenn was on the ice while scoring ten.
Was it a surprise output? Sure. But not to Schenn.
"It's been part of my mindset just to keep getting better with age," Schenn said as a guest on Donnie and Dhali out in British Columbia. "I hear that there's maybe 95 percent of players in the league that decline with age after 30 and five percent that get better. My mindset is to try and my mindset is to be in that five percent."
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Schenn has spent the last few years working with Adam Oates in the summertime to improve his game and adapt his play to the way the game is evolving.
"In his mind, one of the hardest plays in hockey is a D-man coming in for a puck off a dump-in or retrieval," Schenn explained of Oates. "You're taking in all of this information. Is the puck spinning, is it rolling? Is your goalie in the net? Where's D-partner? Is your center there? Are their forecheckers coming in on you? At the end of the day, if you can move the puck five-to-ten feet and break the guys up. That's kind of puck-moving. And everyone is looking for a puck-moving defenseman."
During the playoffs, Schenn's ability to calmly clear the puck out of harm's way was evident and it was particularly helpful for Toronto as the games took on more of a defensive battle rattle than offensive shooting galleries.
Will Schenn re-sign in Toronto?
The Maple Leafs have an exclusive window to negotiate a new contract with Schenn. The main issue right now is that they don't have a general manager after dismissing Kyle Dubas from the post last week.
Schenn talked about how amazing Dubas was when it came to handling the family stuff during the trade. Schenn's wife was expecting their third child just days after he was traded from the Canuck to the Maple Leafs.
"I really enjoyed things in Toronto and we'll see where that shakes out that first," Schenn told Donnie and Dhali.
What is fair value for Schenn?
Schenn is coming off a two-year, $1.7 million contract that the Vancouver Canucks signed back in 2021. The veteran D-man hasn't earned in the seven figures since the 2017-18 season. It's not unreasonable to suggest that Schenn could possibly command more money on the open market.
What the Leafs could do, if they choose, is to offer Schenn more stability. He's only signed one and two-year deals since the 2016-17 season. Perhaps a three-year, $3.45 million contract might interest the defenseman? The number puts it at an AAV of $1.15, which would be his highest since 2017-18. It also ensures that the Leafs would be able to get a full cap relief in future years for some reason he isn't able to hang onto his spot on the roster.
There is still a lot to figure out between now and July 1, like who will be running point for Toronto when it comes to contract negotiations. But the Schenn to Toronto talks should be an easy one and on the priority list for both player and club.
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