Kyle Dubas had one goal before the trade deadline on Friday, and that was to make his team tougher and harder to play against. His latest move helps address exactly that. The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2023 3rd-round draft pick.
Depending on how long you’ve been a fan of the blue and white, you may remember they drafted Luke Schenn fifth overall way back in the 2008 NHL Draft. Schenn spent four years with the Leafs before he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for James van Riemsdyk. Schenn would go on to spend four years with the Flyers as well before being dealt to the LA Kings. After leaving the Flyers, he failed to find a home in the league as he bounced around from LA to Arizona to Anaheim and then to Vancouver. In 2019/20, he landed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent two years, and he would eventually go on to win a Stanley Cup in 2020/21. The physical right shot defenceman has spent the past two seasons since winning the cup with the Vancouver Canucks. This season Schenn has skated in 55 games with the Canucks where he scored three goals and added 18 assists for a total of 21 points. Surprising offensive production from the stay-at-home defenceman on a dreadful Vancouver Canucks team.
Schenn’s first game back home in Toronto will come on March 11th as the Leafs host the Oilers. I can only imagine the ovation the Saskatchewan native will get in his return to Toronto. He was absolutely beloved during his time with the organization, given the way he plays the game and the physicality he brings to the table. He is exactly the type of addition the blue and white desperately needed on the back end.
Surely Dubas has to be done now, right? Well, according to sources, he is still working the phones. Where could he possibly go from here? Only time will tell! One thing is for sure, this year feels very different from previous years for the blue and white.
