Trade imminent? Luke Schenn sitting out for Canucks tonight: report

Has Luke Schenn played his last game as a member of the Vancouver Canucks?

Schenn will sit out tonight’s game in Nashville, as first reported by CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, presumably as a healthy scratch. The team has since confirmed that Schenn won’t play tonight.

The rugged Canucks defenceman is flying back to Vancouver, according to Dhaliwal, as he awaits a trade.

Yes he is https://t.co/J6P9i130ME

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 21, 2023

Source says Schenn is flying home to Vancouver.

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) February 21, 2023

With just 10 days to go before the NHL’s trade deadline on March 3, sitting Schenn would appear to be a move by Canucks management to preserve an asset.

Schenn should be coveted by multiple playoff teams looking to bolster their defensive depth on the right side. The Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning are among the teams that have been linked to Schenn recently. Schenn would make sense for the Toronto Maple Leafs to pursue, too.

The 33-year-old has been praised by Canucks management for his leadership, and the NHL’s all-time leader in hits brings an old-school toughness to his game.

More surprisingly, Schenn is also on pace to shatter his career-high in points this season. He has 21 points in just 55 games — just one point back of his career-best years more than a decade ago with the Maple Leafs. He has 19 points at even strength, which has Schenn tied for 35th in the NHL among defencemen in that category.

A two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Schenn will also be attractive to potential suitors because of his contract. The Saskatoon native’s cap hit is just $850,000, and his contract expires after this season.

It’s been 10 days since Arizona made Jakob Chychrun a healthy scratch for “trade-related reasons,” but the Coyotes have yet to deal the defenceman. Similarly, the Canucks don’t have to immediately trade Schenn.

But the fact that Schenn travelled with the team to Nashville yesterday, only to return home to Vancouver a day later, suggests that progress has been made on the trade front.

Stay tuned.

You might also like:
• "I'll never forget them": Bruce Boudreau is still showing love for Canucks fans