NHL Trade Speculation: 5 Possible Destinations for Luke Schenn

Don't worry folks, Monday is here.

By Monday evening, all the rumors and gossip will have subsided.

Each team will have its roster more or less set for the remainder of the 2011-2012 campaign.

Until then, however, rumors will continue to fly, and the hockey world will be buzzing with speculation surrounding any number of players from just about every team.

In Toronto, one of the names included in many of the trade talks is young defenseman Luke Schenn.

With the Maple Leafs in the midst of a February slump, the talks and possibilities have only increased.

Which teams could be looking to deal for Schenn? Here are the five most likely candidates.

Columbus Blue Jackets

One realistic destination for Luke Schenn would certainly be Columbus.

Right now the Blue Jackets are in "rebuild mode," and a 22-year-old stay-at-home defenseman would be a great place to start.

While Schenn is still learning the intricacies of playing defense at the NHL level, he is only 22 and has the potential to be a top-pair defenseman.

Schenn was also the fifth overall selection in the 2008 NHL entry draft and made the immediate jump to the professional level.

Going to Columbus would also allow the Blue Jackets to play him with a more offensive-minded defenseman (perhaps a James Wisniewski) to balance their top defensive pairing.

With all the Rick Nash trade rumors floating around right now, especially those associating his name with Toronto, it isn't unreasonable to think that Luke Schenn could end up in Columbus come 3 p.m. today.

Philadelphia Flyers

While the Luke Schenn-for-James van Riemsdyk rumors have subsided as of late, there is still reason to believe that the Philadelphia Flyers may want to take a run at the Toronto Maple Leafs young defenseman.

Before you bring up the fact that the Flyers just acquired Pavel Kubina from the Tampa Bay Lightning, remember that Kubina is more of an offensive defenseman than anything.

If the Flyers still want to add a defensive-minded defenseman (which isn't out of the question, seeing as how shaky their goaltending has been), Luke Schenn could be a perfect fit in Philly.

He is a short-term as well as long-term piece and has already played for years in a highly scrutinized market, which means he would already be prepared for the harsh criticism he may face from the Philadelphia hockey faithful if he were to hit a rough patch.

Los Angeles Kings

Everyone knows the Los Angeles Kings want to be major players at the deadline this season.

Already having acquired center Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jack Johnson and a first-round selection in this year's entry draft, the Kings may look to replace Johnson on the blue line.

With rumors surrounding a potential trade involving Dustin Brown, it shouldn't come as a surprise, if, at some point today, a deal involving Luke Schenn and a few other pieces were to head to Los Angeles for a physical forward like Dustin Brown and/or goaltending help in the form of backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier.

Minnesota Wild

This one will be a real long shot.

The Minnesota Wild could be active today at the deadline, but will likely be looking for some scorers to complement Dany Heatley and the struggling Devin Setoguchi.

Having recently traded defenseman Marek Zidlicky to the New Jersey Devils, the Wild have room to fit a young gun like Luke Schenn on their blue line.

Coupled with a scoring forward like Nikolai Kulemin, the Leafs could net themselves some major goalie relief by bringing back Josh Harding and a conditional first- or second-round pick if Harding does not re-sign in Toronto at the conclusion of this season.

The only problem that could arise with this deal is that the Maple Leafs would be giving up a lot for a goalie who has never really played more than 29 games in a single season.

If Burke could bring in the rental goalie and that conditional pick for Luke Schenn straight up, it may be a deal worth looking into.

New York Islanders

While this may be another outside possibility, there is logic to Luke Schenn heading to Long Island.

It comes as no surprise that the New York Islanders are in desperate need of defense.

With talent like Nielsen, Grabner, Tavares, Moulson, Okposo and Parenteau up front, the Isles appear to be building a well-oiled offensive machine.

Their problems on the blue line, however, seem to persist.

The Islanders give up an average of 30.4 shots per game (which actually places them in the middle of the pack in the NHL) and allow nearly three goals per game (despite the surprise play of goalie Evgeni Nabokov).

When Nabokov does not play, it is hard for the Islanders to win.

Bringing in a shutdown defenseman like Luke Schenn fits in with the Islanders' short-term needs and long-term plans.

Coming the other way would be 36-year-old rental goalie Evgeni Nabokov, as well as 28-year-old Toronto native Matt Moulson.

Though New York may be hesitant to give up Moulson, whose offensive production has increased each of the last three seasons, it is deep up front and really need a long-term solution on the back end.

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