Reading the Tea Leafs: Luke Schenn

Following on the success of two other dormant series Chemmy and I have decided that in order to fill the gap in NHL news that we'll take a look at each of the current Leafs, possible Leafs on the Marlies, janitors, marketing interns and prospects. We'll recap their performance last year, what we can expect from them, and how they can win our hearts (hint: signing the contract was a good first step...unless your name is Bryan McCabe Ian White). We have no idea how long of a series this will end up being or how consistent it will be but with two of us expect it to only be half as half-assed and twice as timely.

Don't make Luke Schenn angry. You wouldn't like Luke Schenn angry. What's Russian for "Dear God, he's killing me. Please spare me."?

Contract Status (according to NHL Numbers)
$850K salary, $1.25M cap hit, RFA July 1, 2011 (hahaha just kidding, this kid is going nowhere)

Age (as of October 1, 2008)
18 - November 2, 1989

NHL Seasons
Zero - Soon to be nine games (and only nine games)

Run of the mill stats

Former Leaf he'd have to play like in order to be christened a deity
I'll defer to 1967ers on this one. I don't think the Leafs have ever had a defender as good as Schenn could be unless Salming, Horton, Barilko, Kaberle, and Yuskevich were ever cloned into one body.

Alternate reply: he's already been christened but it won't matter because his ministry continues in the WHL for now.

Biggest Question Marks
How will he do in his nine game stint against the full squads of some very good teams?

2007-2008 Summary
All you have to know is that years from now June 20, 2008 will be celebrated across the country to mark the day that the Leafs' franchise said that it would not go darkly into the night, that it would fight for its right to win Stanley Cups, and that Luke Schenn, the Son of Wendel, was delivered to a fanbase that thirsted for such a star. An old and wrinkled Luke Schenn will be asked to come out to show his success as he waves his quintet of Stanley Cup rings in what is known as the Five Fingered Salute. But let's not get ahead of ourselves although we basically already have. What's the kid going to do this year?

Projected 2008-2009 role/team
Ron Wilson is rightfully worried about damaging his stud prospect. Too much too soon in the bigs could damage his confidence and crush a budding superstar. Too much time in the WHL could cause the development of bad habits that will hinder Schenn for the rest of his career. The solution? Nine games in the NHL.

Why nine games? The basic reasons are so simple that even The Omen eventually managed to clue in to them: it is vital to keep Schenn on his entry level contract for as long as possible in order to a. have players overperforming on their contracts and b. delay his RFA/UFA status by a year.

Why not just send him down to the WHL now? Here's where The Omen's vision clouds because there is no cheap shot to be taken. These nine games, along with the first nine pre-season games, will allow Ron Wilson to deploy Schenn in a myriad of situations. All the while he has been explaining to Schenn exactly how he wants him to play in all of them. Armed with that knowledge, Luke can return to Kelowna with a clear game plan on what he needs to work on in order to win the Calder Trophy next year. It's not rocket science. Everyone here figured it out in short order.

So enjoy these first nine games, pray that Fletcher can stay the course, and count down the days to Opening Night 2009 when Schenn slowly makes his way to the blueline for the National anthem that will kick off his 20 year career as a Leaf.

Who do you want to see Luke lay out in the first 9 games?