Would Luke Schenn still be a Maple Leaf had he played 1 more year in the WHL?

[Dreakmur]

Originally Posted by seanlinden

Luke Schenn WAS NOT rushed into the NHL. The guy was as NHL-ready as any draftee that year. The reason he was drafted so high wasn't because he had Doughty, Bogosian, or Pietrangelo-level upside, it's because he was a freak -- at 18 years old he was 6'2 215 lbs, and reasonably capable of playing a physical game against NHL talent.

Luke Schenn was physically ready to play in the NHL, but that doesn't mean playing in the NHL was best for his development.

Luke Schenn actually did show signs of a modest offensive game in Jr. He put up 28 and 29 point seasons before being drafted. That doesn't mean he was ever going to be an offensive producer, but it does show he did have some offensive upside that was never given a chance to fully develop.

Schenn's problems came from proclaiming him future captain after year 1.... the constant encouragement to be physical and nothing more. The best comparable, and a guy who Luke Schenn should've been looking up to, is Marc Staal -- a young defenceman who earned his keep as a physical guy, but who's focus then shifted to turning himself into a complete defenceman.

If Marc Staal was the path Schenn should have taken, going back to Junior was the way to go. Staal was sent down to the OHL twice. He was given 2 extra years to work on his game, and capped it off with a Max Kaminsky trophy.

[Alflives]

Originally Posted by Dreakmur

Luke Schenn was physically ready to play in the NHL, but that doesn't mean playing in the NHL was best for his development.

Luke Schenn actually did show signs of a modest offensive game in Jr. He put up 28 and 29 point seasons before being drafted. That doesn't mean he was ever going to be an offensive producer, but it does show he did have some offensive upside that was never given a chance to fully develop.



If Marc Staal was the path Schenn should have taken, going back to Junior was the way to go. Staal was sent down to the OHL twice. He was given 2 extra years to work on his game, and capped it off with a Max Kaminsky trophy.

If the Leafs don't get a #1 goalie (and continue with the poor goalies they currently have) then the other young d (Gardiner and Rielly etc.) will fall backwards in their development, just like Schenn did.

[My Sweet Shadow]

His development was mismanaged.

My feeling, then and now, has always been that he should have gone back. There was no negative to letting him play another year; he would have dominated the WHL on a pairing with Myers, had a chance to be a leader on the WJC team, had a chance to mature one more year (physically and mentally), and he'd be another year older before becoming an RFA. The team was obviously in terrible shape, they weren't going to compete for a playoff spot in 2009-10, so you'd be throwing an 18 year old into the biggest hockey market in the world on a team notorious for it's weak defensive play and goaltending. It's a miracle that he survived, and in fact excelled, in his rookie year. His softmore year, everything caught up with him; poor coaching, unable to be shelted on the blue-line due to the rest of the defense and goaltending being sub-par, and an ever critical media expecting him to far exceed the high standard he set in his rookie year.

I like the trade though. He'll be able to play along side a stronger defense corps, with a (usually) good goaltender behind him. Combine that with being reunited with his brother and a change of scenery in general, and I think he has a shot to bounce back. From our perspective, we get a big, skilled forward who still has a lot of potential. Neither player lived up to expectations, but both have ample opportunity for redemption.

[Stephen]

At the time, I thought he should have gone back and learned to play offense and be a number one guy like Shea Weber to see if he could unlock some latent potential, and even though I think the Leafs moved on sufficiently here with JVR like I said earlier, for Schenn's own sake maybe his own confidence would be less fragile today had he gone through a season as a stud defenseman and had more faith in his own tools.