Trade Rumor: Luke Schenn to ACME for Bugs Bunny

Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about a rumour that’s been going around about Luke Schenn being traded to the New York Islanders for their first round pick in the 2009 NHL draft.

 

There are people suggesting that it would be great to trade Schenn for the opportunity to draft John Tavares or Viktor Hedman.  These same people believe that Tavares or Hedman will be franchise players. 

 

They also deem Schenn not worthy of this moniker by suggesting that he’ll be nothing more than a role player in the NHL.  Those are some big words for people that are picking up every crumb that scouts are leaving behind.

 

I have news for these people who choose to make their decisions based on what scouts believe.  Scouting hasn’t always worked and they’re not always right.  I suggest that any naysayer should do their homework. 

 

I don’t have time to write about every mistake that scouts have made in NHL history.  You should read another article that I wrote concerning this topic to get a better idea of what I’m stating. 

 

This is the link: http://changingonthefly.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/toronto-maple-leafs-fans-hoping-for-last-place-finish-to-snag-no-1-draft-pick/

 

My question is:  what makes anyone think that Tavares or Hedman are going to be franchise players?

 

I just don’t understand why people believe that Tavares is going to be so great.  He’s not even proven at the NHL level.  Schenn played a season in the NHL and we know what he brings and what he might be and even that’s not certain.   So what proof does anyone have that Tavares or Hedman are going to be franchise players?

Even if Schenn isn’t going to become a franchise player, does it really matter?  He’ll be a solid shutdown defenseman similar to Scott Stevens or Tim Horton and that’s a good enough reason to keep him, if I were Brian Burke.

Tavares may have broken Wayne Gretzky’s OHL goal record.  Know what I say to that? BIG DEAL.  He hasn’t broken Gretzky’s NHL goal record or assists and point record. 

Doug Gilmour even scored 70 goals in his last year with the Cornwall Royals who were a part of the OHL that year.  I’m not saying Gilmour is not a good player but he’s not Gretzky and he’s not what people are assuming that Tavares is going to be and ASSUMING is the magic word.

Plus, Tavares’ point total has decreased every year since and his current playoff performance has been poor for a player of his talent.  Some may say it’s because players are competing harder against him and that can take a toll on his performance.  I say that never bothered Gretzky or Mario Lemieux and I question Tavares’ future based on this statistic.

This doesn’t mean that Tavares or Hedman won’t be franchise players.  They may or they may not achieve this stature.  That’s the threat and I just wouldn’t risk trading Schenn for a chance to draft either player.

I think Steven Stamkos is going to be a better NHL player than Tavares. Why don’t the Leafs just trade Schenn for him?  Sounds like a better idea in my opinion.

Defensemen like Schenn are also very difficult to find and he’s going to be a very big piece of the puzzle if the Maple Leafs want to be a dominant contender for many years to come. 

He’s a good kid and he has a good attitude and values for a person of his age.  You don’t trade people like this because they create a great team atmosphere.

Remember how Philadelphia traded away all those players including Forsberg, Ricci, and Hextall for Lindros?  Who ended up winning the Cup twice with Forsberg?  It was Colorado (formally Quebec).  Who only got there once and didn’t even win with Lindros?  It was Philadelphia.

And to me, Lindros was legitimately hyped despite his notorious attitude problem.  I don’t consider Tavares to be at the same level that Eric Lindros was in 1991.  I just don’t think he’s good enough to give up a defensemen like Luke Schenn. A great team begins with great defence and goaltending.

I hope that Brian Burke would agree with me because he also stressed that a Stanley Cup winning team is built from the net out, which starts with goaltending and defensemen. 

If this rumor becomes reality, I think that Brian Burke is retreating from his beliefs on building a winner and I don’t believe this would paint a trustworthy image of this Toronto Maple Leafs general manager.