Welcome Matt: Should the Canucks sell high and trade Luke Schenn?

Dec 7 2022, 8:16 pm

sekeres and price

Given all the boxes he ticks, Luke Schenn is like a Black Friday sale.

Teams are lining up at the door, waiting for the Vancouver Canucks to open for business.

Improbable as it seems for a player who could’ve been had on waivers a few years back, the Canucks defenceman has a bigger market than winger Brock Boeser or centre Bo Horvat.

That’s mostly because his $850,000 salary fits neatly at a time when many teams are capped out and have no ability to add salary. Boeser and Horvat, of course, are more complicated additions that require Vancouver taking some money back, or retaining portions of their salaries.

But Schenn has other attributes, too. He’s a right-handed defenceman — the scarcest commodity in hockey. He’s won Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And he has intangibles coming out the ying-yang, including his physical play, also a rare trait in the NHL these days.

Now, as you’ll hear from Darren Dreger on our show today, Canucks management is prioritizing a team concept and team players, so there’s a chance they try to re-sign the 33-year-old.

But there have been some interesting deadline trades in recent years with supporting players on good contracts — Brandon Hagel, Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow — who have fetched first-round picks.

That’s likely too rich for Schenn, but the Canucks have a desirable asset that they can sell high.

And they should.

Matthew SekeresMatthew Sekeres

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