Double Dose of Schenn Possibility For Leafs

As the Stanley Cup finals come to a close and draft day edges closer and closer, Toronto Maple Leafs fans lick their lips at the slim chance that General Manager Brian Burke will trade all the way up to number one and steal John Tavares from the New York Islanders.

Unfortunately for those fans, the Islanders would probably want a scorer with a future in order to even consider trading away their pick, and the Leafs don’t have much to offer up front.

A 25-30 year old goal scorer who is in his mid-30’s isn’t going to cut it.

Right now the Leafs hold the seventh pick in the draft, the exact same pick they held last year when former General Manager Cliff Fletcher traded up to number five and snagged Luke Schenn.

If Burke holds the seventh pick, odds are the Leafs will draft Spokane Chiefs defenseman, Jared Cowen. Cowen is 6”5 and has been called a bigger version of Luke Schenn. He scored seven goals and notched 27 points in 48 games this season.

Realistically however, Burke is going to trade up. If he can’t snag the top one or two picks, he should seriously consider a certain somebody not too much further down the draft list. Someone with a very familiar last name: Luke Schenn’s brother, Brayden.

Last year, in his rookie season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL, Brayden scored 28 goals and tallied 71 points in 66 games winning rookie of the year.

He followed up his rookie season with an even better performance this year, notching 32 goals and 88 points in 70 games. Schenn is a six foot, 200 pound center who is described by mynhldraft.com as “a mature player for his age, who possesses a laser wrist shot and is not afraid to get his hands dirty in the corners."

Brayden’s brother Luke has made a name for himself in Toronto, becoming a distinctive fan favorite over the past year. In an interview earlier in the season, Luke said it would be pretty special to have two brothers playing together at the same time in Toronto. However, Luke has also mentioned that he wouldn’t mind playing against his younger brother as well.

Brayden Schenn may be no John Tavares, but he may be another piece of the puzzle for the rebuilding Leafs.

Besides GM Brian Burke does have a thing for brothers.