Canucks Army Free Agent Profiles: Luke Schenn

When you think of Luke Schenn, what uniform do you picture him in? For me, Luke Schenn will always be a Leaf before anything else, but that’s likely just due to the fact of living in Toronto during his early NHL years. For some, it’s the Flyers, but often many think of him as the steal trade of the decade that brought Toronto James van Riemsdyk.

Few think of him as an LA King, but it’s his most recent team he played for. For you, the answer may be different. Maybe you remember him as a World Junior player? A Kelowna Rocket? But for next season, will he be in Canucks uniform? Maybe. Does it make sense? Uhh… 

I’ll take “What is Luke Schenn” for $200, Alex. And the answer? Well, we’ve got a gauge on him. And the result isn’t entirely pretty. He’s never been a great scorer at any level, and he’s built his career off being a “top-4, hard-nosed defensive defenceman.” The basic stats, the eye test and the analytics all show it.

There’s been enough research done that winning teams in the NHL typically don’t sign players like Schenn, and with good reason: players like Luke Schenn don’t typically make your team really any better than they already are. They might eat up minutes, be physical, and block a few shots here and there… but you tend to find less and less of these players on successful teams, especially at Schenn’s cap hit of $3.6 million entering last season. His offensive upside has never peaked above 22 points a season, and that’s quite a bit to pay for a guy solely due to good defensive play. Turning 27 this year… it’s unlikely Schenn gets a whole lot better in the near future, so he pretty much is what he is. The only question now is… do you want what you see?  

566 games. Total workhorse. Other than that… nothing really stands out. Other than the fact he hits a lot of people, and once had 20 assists on a bad Toronto team. Which is nice… but also the best offensive hockey he’s played in his career. If Luke Schenn ever tops 35, even 30 NHL points, it would be a nice surprise, but he’s pretty much established himself as being about as good as he’ll ever be. 

There’s a lot going on in this Hero Chart, but the important thing it tells you is: Luke Schenn’s far from a hero. He’s not a bad, anchor-your-team-down-because-he’s-so-bad type player, but at best he’s a decent bottom pairing quality player making top-4 money as of last season. (at least salary wise). Quick reminder Philadelphia had to eat salary to trade him away.

I don’t mind Luke Schenn as a player, for cheap. I don’t like Luke Schenn as a UFA option for a team with limited cap space… unless he signs for below what another team will give him.

He’s a prime example in the “don’t draft defencemen too early unless they’re locks” argument, but a lot of that has to do with him fitting the mold Toronto wanted and being selected higher than he should’ve been, rather than him being a bad player overall. He’s not a top-10 talent from the 2008 draft, but unfortunately for Schenn being picked too high is a stigma that will follow him around for the rest of the career.

He’s good at hitting people, good at being “defensive”, good at fighting, sometimes. He won’t typically make catastrophic mistakes and his possession numbers are okay – usually slightly below average.

Schenn ranked 48th amongst defenceman with at least 500 minutes last season in Corsi For/60 at 5 on 5 – which is respectable enough, until you realize he was on LA for much of the season and six of his Kings teammates ranked above him. He also ranked 71st in Corsi Against per 60… (again, respectable) and 7th on Los Angeles. 

Context is key. Don’t forget that.

Before you ask yourself if Luke Schenn would be a good fit for the Canucks, you should ask, “Who would Luke Schenn be a good fit for?” He’d dominate the hell out of your men’s league. Probably be among the better players in the AHL. He could take on a leadership role on just about any European team. But really, truly, Luke Schenn has, and never really will be, the best option for an NHL team. Sure, he might come in and do a serviceable job. He’s been around the league long enough that he gets “it.” But to be honest, Luke Schenn is the epitome of an “old era” defenceman that doesn’t quite cut it in the NHL as a top pairing guy, which is what you usually expect out of a top-5 pick. Any time your contract has to be eaten when you get traded to a team that’s recently won a Stanley Cup or two, (unless you’re making Phil Kessel money), it’s usually a sign you’re not worth what you’re making.

The thing is, Luke Schenn has a lot of appealing things about him. He’s a veteran, for one. He seems like a good dude. He’s been around and never really gets in trouble.

He’s just not the best on ice option for most NHL teams, and I can’t really see him helping out the Canucks. But he does have a name value, and there’s still some management groups that like to buy players based on their name or their potential or their reputation, even though they’ve probably peaked, rather than their skill. Luke Schenn will probably make more than he’s worth somewhere, but the Canucks should shy away and spend the money they’d spend on him on a more talented, more skilled, probably younger, and cheaper defenceman. It’s a wildcard who’s still available on July 1st if you don’t … but there’s going to be someone better than Luke.

Unless they’re trying to tank, I don’t really see Luke Schenn making sense in a Canucks uniform – unless they get him for really cheap, say under $1.5, and for a short term deal, when he’s probably looking for a long-term one. And from what the front office has been saying, tanking is not in their mindset right now- though their actions might speak differently.

But if recent trends of questionable decisions continue, you can bet he’ll be the first player the front offices signs on July 1st. Welcome to Vancouver, Luke!