Multiple news sources are reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, Ron Wilson, sat down with Luke Schenn after Monday’s team practice to give him some good news and some bad news.
The bad news? Luke would have to move out of the Toronto area hotel he’s been staying in for the last month or so. The young Leaf prospect would no longer be able to order room service or have nice clean linen every day.
The good? The reason for his eviction is that he needs to retain a real estate agent to help him find new, permanent digs in the city because he’s sticking with the club.
Schenn will suit up for his 9th regular season game as a Maple Leaf tomorrow when his team hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game, the team flies to New Jersey to face Brodeur and the Devils on Wednesday night. The second the clock starts ticking, Schenn’s entry level SPC will kick in for the full season. Should he remain with the club beyond the 41 game mark — and there’s little reason to suspect otherwise — it will also count as a full year of service toward Schenn’s status as a player. Assuming he remains healthy and assigned to the club, he would be eligible for unrestricted free agency at age 25.
Schenn came into training camp considered by most to be very unlikely to cement a roster spot. After all, to earn that spot he would have to prove himself worthy of top-4 ice time, and that would not be easy with the Leafs roster already chock full of defencemen with NHL experience. Anything less, and Schenn would be sent back for one more year of Junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets.
“Lockdown Luke,” as he has affectionately come to be known on the TMLfans forum, has met and exceeded all expectations. He has averaged more than 20 minutes per night of ice time and has seen regular duty as a top-pairing partner for Tomas Kaberle, as well as a prominent role on the team’s penalty killing unit. He has also been entrusted to hold the lead in the closing minutes of many of the Leafs’ recent games.
For more information, read the official Leafs announcement or join in on our forum discussion of this promising Leaf rookie.
hey do you think that the leafs are going to make the play offs