The Worst Possible Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Could Trade For
By James Tanner
Toronto Maple Leafs Worst Options: Luke Schenn
Luke Schenn is the most disappointing draft pick in the disappointing history of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Drafted right when the idea that maybe you shouldn’t waste top picks on defensive defenseman was just becoming mainstream, the Leafs blew a top pick on the likable defender.
5th overall in the draft where Erik Karlsson went 15th overall.
If that doesn’t make Brian Burke the worst GM in Leafs history, don’t worry he has about ten other moves that lock in that title beyond a shadow of a doubt.
You can’t blame him for not knowing to select Roman Josi – who went in the second round – but it would have been nice to have a GM where that at least would have been a possibility.
Back to Schenn.
A lot of people like to say that Schenn was ruined by being rushed to the show, but that’s nonsense retroactive thinking. The fact is, he is a slow, defense first, hitter who would have been good in the 90s.
Unfortunately, he was drafted in 2008 by a guy who never stopped wishing it was the 90s.
Today Luke Schenn is one of the worst players on one of the worst teams in hockey.
If you were to rate out of 100 how much the Leafs should want him, you would have to go into the negatives, because the Leafs already have 12 players who they would, or at least should, dress ahead of Schenn (Sandin, Liljegren, Brodie, Rielly, Holl, Giordano, Timmins, Mete, Benn, Dahlstrom, Hollowell, Kokonen), not counting Jake Muzzin.
Luke Scheen’s only value comes from a slight bit of offense he’s managed to rack up this year. His defense is horrible and he hurts his team by being on the ice. A competitive team has no need for this player, so no matter how much you romanticize ex-Leafs, Luke Schenn is the worst idea of a trade deadline addition I have heard.
An actual person told me Schenn should replace Rasmus Sandin, who is in his second straight year of putting up some of the best 5v5 results in the NHL. That person should not be allowed to tell people their hockey opinions.