Maple Leafs checking centre options, Schenn in focus
Acquiring a centre is the Toronto Maple Leafs main focus ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday.
admin
Since the William Nylander at centre experiment ended in the pre-season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been searching for depth down the middle.
And ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, that is indeed the team’s main focus, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada.
One player the Leafs are considering? St. Louis Blues pivot Brayden Schenn.
“He is definitely a guy Toronto is thinking about very hard,” Friedman said.
-
-
Watch Hockey Central Trade Deadline on Sportsnet
Sportsnet’s hockey news breakers, analysts and reporters will have coast-to-coast coverage of all the moves made ahead of this season’s NHL trade deadline. Full coverage on March 7 begins at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Still, there may be competition for Schenn’s services, with Friedman mentioning the Vegas Golden Knights among the teams who could potentially be interested.
Schenn, a 16-year veteran, won the Stanley Cup under current Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube with the Blues in 2019 and recently suited up in his 1,000th career game.
“I love that player. I love the guy. He’s a super human being. 1,000 games is a lot of games in the league,” Berube said on Friday.
“He’s a dedicated player. I always say that guys who play that long are dedicated to the game. They do all the right things throughout the summer, game in, and game out, preparing. He’s a very prepared player. He looks after his body, he looks after himself and loves the game. He’s a hockey nerd. It was great to see him hit 1,000 games. Very happy for him.”
In 60 games this season, the 33-year-old Schenn has recorded 12 goals and 24 assists.
He’s under contract for three more years at $6.5 million and holds a no-trade clause, which means he had some say in his ultimate destination.
Schenn’s brother, defenceman Luke Schenn, has played two separate stints with the Maple Leafs, including during their lone salary-cap era second-round appearance two seasons ago.
Toronto has been searching for answers at third-line centre behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares all season, with the likes of Max Domi and Fraser Minten unable to stick full-time.
Earlier Saturday, the Leafs practised with Calle Jarnkrok in the position. The Swede has yet to play this season after undergoing sports hernia surgery, but could return for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Maple Leafs (37-20-2) sit second in the Atlantic Division with 76 points in 59 games and trail the Florida Panthers by just one point.
