Sports with Zwarych- November 2, 2008

Sports with Zwarych
Andrew Zwarych
November 2, 2008

Schenn's Play Warrant to Staying with Buds

The question of whether or not Luke Schenn was going to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs has now been answered. But ever since his first preseason game Schenn has given Leafs management no reason why they should have sent him back to minors. As of Sunday night Luke over 11 games played has accumulated 2 assists and -1 plus/minus. He currently leads all NHL rookies in blocked shots (19), is second in average ice time per game (21:39) and is third among rookies in hits (25). Schenn's play warranted him staying on the Leaf's roster, he has been put in several hard situations and has been dominate. Over his young career Schenn has already participated in four years of junior play and has most likely learned as much as possible from that situation, he is now presented with an opportunity to learn and grow as a player again playing with the likes of Tomas Kabele, Pavel Kubina, Jeff Finger, and Mike Van Ryn. Schenn's play has answered all critics who ask whether or not he should stay.
Luke Schenn's play on the ice has allowed Leaf's coaches and management to make the easy decision to keep him around. It is not just the fact that Schenn is near the top in blocked shots, average ice time and rookie hits he gives no reason to not believe he can succeed when given the chance. Coach Ron Wilson has gone on about how he believes Luke deserves to be in the lineup and will continue to do so. Schenn's ability to protect his teammates has also been part of the reason why Schenn has stuck around. After incidents like his altercation with Chris Neil last Saturday or what happened between him and Denis Wideman after his devastating hit on Matt Stajan. This ability to stick up for his fellow player's show how dedicated he is for the team, doing anything to give the boys that much added adrenaline.
With Luke Schenn being so young and still developing, the Leafs are able to mold him into the defenseman they want. By keeping him with the team and playing with the likes of Tomas Kaberle, he is more likely going to pick up Kaberle's and the others good habits. If Schenn would to be sent back he wouldn't be going back to a crappy defense that would make him worse (Schenn's d-partner last year was Tyler Myers who was also a 1st round draft pick this past year-12th overall by the Buffalo Sabres) but the talent that he can play with in the NHL is that much better.
The only possibility the Leaf's have in the near future that should in compass looking at moving Schenn or not is if they find themselves in a tight bind and are unable to move any players, being forced to send Schenn down. If the Leafs choose to shake things up via a trade, under no circumstance should Schenn be looked at as any part to the deal. Even if it is to get a top of the line talent. According to the Toronto Star, "(Ilya) Kovalchuk, one of the few pure snipers in the NHL, sounds as if he wants out of Atlanta. Russian newspaper Sports Express Daily said the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens were the front-runners for his services."* Leafs General Manager Cliff Fletcher was quoted as saying "trade (talks won't) heat up until December."* Even if a deal is made for Kovalchuk the Leafs management should take a long hard look before decided to include Schenn. Unless a blue-chip blueliner is coming with him, I wouldn't do it.
I think its easy to say that Luke Schenn has become an essential role on the Leaf's roster and has answered all critics who asked if he deserved to be on the this team or not.


*http://www.thestar.com/