Luke Schenn: One more chance?

[ZBBM]

You know, at the end of yet another disappointing season I was ready to give just about everybody on the roster the boot.  I still am not averse to a major overhaul.  Certainly Schenn is now potential trade bait, since he's been up and down so far in his career.  (I remember how highly BB thought of him early on when he made the comment to the effect of he wasn't entertaining offers for him, "But if someone offers me five firsts, you're on a plane, son.")

But now that I am able to consider the Leafs' future in tranquil repose, I would like to see Schenn stay on the roster for next season.  If he can ever attain some consistency, he is exactly the type of guy we need to anchor the defense.  He's still very young, and we all know d-men are usually the last to get into a consistent groove.  Even guys like Doughty are showing that.

A year under Carlyle should give us a pretty good reading on whether he can thrive in a decent defensive system.  If, OTOH, he continues to make bonehead mistakes too often, then maybe it's time to consider whether he's got enough hockey smarts to be a top defenseman.

 

[pnjunction]

I really ran out of patience with him last season, some of his goofs were just so mind-bogglingly bad, but I think we should hold onto him just because we'd be selling so low right now. He has fundamental weaknesses and strengths that will probably level out to somewhere higher than his stock right now. Will he ever be consistently reliable? Who knows.

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[jdh1]

I would keep him as well for now...even though I was never that high on him even in his 1st two seasons.I think Philly is going to keep going for him to join with his brother..so I do think he will go this summer.

 

[Boston Leaf]

If a deal is there (I would gladly do the JVR for him one) then I would move him. He is a pretty slow skater for this NHL... I think he is like Komisarek minus the bad penalties

 

[Corn Flake]

I'm all for being patient (at least trying to be) but the risk with sticking with Schenn is if he has another bad year he could cost the Leafs points in the standings and his trade value will plummet.  Trading him this time next year after a bad season, the return will be incredibly disappointing. 

If the rumors for JVR are true, and still apply after these playoffs given how well he is playing, I'd take that trade and move on, sign Bryan Allen who will give you a solid 18 mins/ night as the #4 d-man, replacing both Komi and Schenn in that regard, and the Leafs will be a better team for it. 

 

[slapshot]

I really ran out of patience with him last season, some of his goofs were just so mind-bogglingly bad, but I think we should hold onto him just because we'd be selling so low right now. He has fundamental weaknesses and strengths that will probably level out to somewhere higher than his stock right now. Will he ever be consistently reliable? Who knows.

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The biggest problem with Schenn is his mobility or lack thereof. Most of his gaffes are because he is too slow, thus opposition can get on him quicker and make him rush plays, leading to costly breakdowns. Gardiner is the exact opposite, his speed enables him to overcome potential errors and recovery, despite only have a fraction of Schenn's NHL level experience.
What Schenn really needs is to be enrolled in some kind of power skating/mobility school for the summer. It would do him a world of good.

 

[Corn Flake]

I really ran out of patience with him last season, some of his goofs were just so mind-bogglingly bad, but I think we should hold onto him just because we'd be selling so low right now. He has fundamental weaknesses and strengths that will probably level out to somewhere higher than his stock right now. Will he ever be consistently reliable? Who knows.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

The biggest problem with Schenn is his mobility or lack thereof. Most of his gaffes are because he is too slow, thus opposition can get on him quicker and make him rush plays, leading to costly breakdowns. Gardiner is the exact opposite, his speed enables him to overcome potential errors and recovery, despite only have a fraction of Schenn's NHL level experience.
What Schenn really needs is to be enrolled in some kind of power skating/mobility school for the summer. It would do him a world of good.

Well, yes and no.  There are, and have been plenty of d-men slower than Schenn who have long careers as solid shutdown d-men.  Yes if he could improve his skating it would be wonderful, but that isn't the reason he is struggling. The real problem is he is putting himself in positions where he cannot recover due to his speed not being that great, where if he played a simpler game and didn't chase opponents into places he shouldn't go, he would be fine.  His solid second half two years ago wasn't because he was faster, it was because his overall game was more simple and his decision making was better. 

 

[moon111]

When Carlyle first took over, I almost thought I saw the forwards working harder to get back into a decent position in their own end.  Remarkably, guys like Schenn and Komisarek didn't look out of place handling the puck either.  Then the forwards got lazy again.  A Carlyle system + some honest hard work = defensive success?

 

[Zee]

When Carlyle first took over, I almost thought I saw the forwards working harder to get back into a decent position in their own end.  Remarkably, guys like Schenn and Komisarek didn't look out of place handling the puck either.  Then the forwards got lazy again.  A Carlyle system + some honest hard work = defensive success?

Pretty sure that's key for ANY team not just the Leafs.  If all players on the ice play defensively responsible you'll be in every game with any type of capable goaltending.

It might be boring as hell to watch, but at the end of the day if it leads to more wins and playoffs i'll take boring over free-wheeling hockey.

 

[Madferret]

Was Schenn around for the Maurice years or was that just before he was drafted?

 

[Deebo]

Was Schenn around for the Maurice years or was that just before he was drafted?

Maurice was fired before Schenn was drafted.

 

[proteus2000]

When Carlyle first took over, I almost thought I saw the forwards working harder to get back into a decent position in their own end.  Remarkably, guys like Schenn and Komisarek didn't look out of place handling the puck either.  Then the forwards got lazy again.  A Carlyle system + some honest hard work = defensive success?

Pretty sure that's key for ANY team not just the Leafs.  If all players on the ice play defensively responsible you'll be in every game with any type of capable goaltending.

It might be boring as hell to watch, but at the end of the day if it leads to more wins and playoffs i'll take boring over free-wheeling hockey.

Carlyle will definitely play the guys who most stick to his system and play the best positionally with fewest mistakes. Hockey has evolved to what most teams left are doing, which is boring but effective.

schenn has a fresh start with a new coach and will hopefully bring his game back to being a solid 3/4 shutdown guy. His atoi on the team ranked 6th amongst dmen last yr so he can only climb up the depth charts...

 

[Madferret]

Was Schenn around for the Maurice years or was that just before he was drafted?

Maurice was fired before Schenn was drafted.

Deebo you are a bit wiser / older and a little less knee-jerkish like me do you not think this trade Schenn business might not be entirely thought through by some of your co-fans?

 

[ZBBM]

FWIW the latest THN draft edition has classed the Schenn pick as a "miss."  IOW, they are writing him off.  :

 

[Madferret]

FWIW the latest THN draft edition has classed the Schenn pick as a "miss."  IOW, they are writing him off.  :

Same writer probably had him pegged as a franchise defenseman when he was 18. The circle is almost complete.

 

[ZBBM]

FWIW the latest THN draft edition has classed the Schenn pick as a "miss."  IOW, they are writing him off.  :

Same writer probably had him pegged as a franchise defenseman when he was 18. The circle is almost complete.

True.  He was hyped a bit too much at the start, or at least as much as a defensive defensemen can be.

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

This is an honest question and I'm not sure I know the answer.

How much has Schenn improved in his 4 seasons so far? Has he regressed?What areas of his game (right now) are above average? Which are below?

I can see how at the moment he's being labeled a miss, as he hasn't improved significantly since he came into the league.

I still think he's more potential (although I agree the potential is pretty significant) than results and in that regard he's a project. A 4-6 defenceman with the #5 overall pick isn't exactly a "hit".

 

[Madferret]

To Schenns defense he was kind of pushed right into things at 18....not that this is ground-breaking insight but SHD historically do take longer to develop. Carlyle should sort him out, but if he's as bad as some are saying then what kind of return would he realistically net?

P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E?

 

[Etiam Vultus]

To Schenns defense he was kind of pushed right into things at 18....not that this is ground-breaking insight but SHD historically do take longer to develop. Carlyle should sort him out, but if he's as bad as some are saying then what kind of return would he realistically net?

P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E?

I ran P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E? through my Maple Leafs Fans spellchecker and it automatically corrected it to P-A-N-I-C.

 

[Peter D.]

I want to see Schenn learn and play under Carlyle's system before deciding his fate as Carlyle's system should suit Schenn's style.  However, if deficiencies such as poor skating continue to show through even in what should be a tighter defensive system, then I will be concerned for Schenn's long-term viability.

Then again, there is nothing wrong if Schenn develops into a #4, shut-down defensive defenceman.  What plagues him though is that he was a former #5 pick and he wouldn't have lived up to the stigma of what that type of pick/player should entail.  If that wasn't attached to him, I believe he would have a lot more leniency thrown towards him.