4 players the Detroit Red Wings should target ahead of the trade deadline
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Red Wings should look to add defenseman Luke Schenn.
Luke Schenn, the former prized draft selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs, never did live up to his draft hype with the organization, but he’s grown into a stalwart, gritty, third-pairing defender. The Leafs selected Schenn with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Level Draft. Throughout his career, Schenn has recorded 41 goals and 190 points over 918 games.
The Detroit Red Wings have a glaring need for their third pairing. Detroit has been rotating Jordan Oesterle, Gustav Lindstrom, and Robert Hagg all season long, but all three have had their issues. Schenn, a right-handed shot, is a rugged stay-at-home defender that would pair nicely with Ben Chiarot or Oli Maatta. Chiarot plays with a bit of a mean streak, and the two would be an excellent physical, reliable third pair for head coach Derek Lalonde.
Also, pairing the two will allow Lalonde to go back to pairing Maatta with Filip Hronek. The two performed exceptionally well together earlier this season. Maatta is a defensive-minded defenseman that rarely puts himself in a compromised position. His style of play allows the offensive-minded Hronek to play a more free-wheeling type of game. Hronek’s offense exploded earlier this season while paired with Maatta.
Schenn has recorded three goals and 21 points this season with the Vancouver Canucks, and is in the final year of his two-year deal that averages just $850,000. Schenn has skated to a plus-9 rating this season averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game on a terrible rebuilding team. Schenn won’t wow anyone analytically. He’s produced a Corsi For Percentage of 45.9 and a Relative Corsi For Percentage of -3.4 during even strength situations. Again, paired with a better defender, Schenn will grade out a bit better, but you’ve got to realize what he is; a physical presence on the backend and a slight upgrade to the third pairing.
The 33-year-old defender is garnering some attention on the trade block. Both Boston and Pittsburgh have reportedly checked in with the Canucks on a potential trade in recent days.
Schenn won’t command a hefty return from Detroit and is a cheap rental for the duration of the season.