As the Canucks were losing to the Predators 5-4 in a shoot-out in Nashville, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn was flying back to BC. It appears a trade for the veteran right-hander is imminent. He’s a valuable commodity for any of the playoff-bound or playoff-hopeful clubs in the NHL searching for depth along the blueline.
His wife is also very pregnant, expecting next week, which gives the Schenn’s a little bit of extra time together with his not-so-distant future whereabouts up in the air. Consider that a bonus for them.
Otherwise, where is he headed and when?
One of the teams that has popped up is the Calgary Flames under general manager Brad Treliving. What player of interest hasn’t been mentioned as a potential Flames target. That’s just the nature of the prognostication game.
The interesting element; Calgary presently sits four points back of a playoff position in the Western Conference. They have five of their twenty-five remaining games between now and the NHL Trade Deadline and most would not be considered ‘easy’. What if they bomb Wednesday night in Arizona against the lowly, but plucky Coyotes? The next night they’ve got the Vegas Golden Knights at “the fortress”, then still on the road at the Colorado Avalanche, and then two homes games against none other than the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
One might suggest Treliving change his tact should they falter in a big way, but then again, as far as we know, he remains a lame duck GM. Given what has been an underachieving season thus far, it’s likely urgent for him to add something to help make a run to the finish line. Anything can happen once you’re in and of course owners love the playoff gate.
It’s ironic, because after scrambling to acquire Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri while losing Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau last summer, Treliving was hailed as a resourceful hero in those parts. It’s a bit crazy how it’s turned out and one has to wonder whether a Luke Schenn manoeuver would really do much for the cause.
The Canucks Math
Schenn leads the Canucks in blocked shots with 81 and has almost twice as many hits as anyone else on the team with 258. He’s served as Quinn Hughes’s protector along the way and as a modern enforcer for the Canucks, although that term has lost much of its meaning. He’s still a physical presence and at age 33 — he’s not 34 until November — and he brings level of professionalism and accountability any club would desire.
Which bodes the question, after he’s rented out for this playoff run as a pending unrestricted free agent, do the Canucks make a bid to bring him back for another couple of seasons? Although he’s not a long term answer, he does provide depth and qualities the Canucks team could appreciate as it goes through another transition or “re-tool”. He also does it inexpensively.
Spin the wheel as to where he ends up. Throw enough teams out there and one’s bound to be right.
