Tim Wharnsby
From Monday's Globe and Mail Published on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 7:16PM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 9:00PM EDT
Defenceman Luke Schenn continues to impress the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff as well as general manager Cliff Fletcher, and the indications are the 18-year-old rookie won't be returning to junior any time soon.
“The way's he's playing and the ice time he's logged certainly indicates he deserves to stay,” Fletcher said. “But I don't want to commit to anything right now because I don't have to.”
Fletcher doesn't have to make an official decision until after Schenn plays his ninth game, which, if he remains injury free and remains in the lineup, won't be until the Leafs play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 28.
If the Saskatoon teenager plays a 10th game, his three-year, entry-level contract would kick in. If he is returned to his junior team, the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, before then, the contract would not begin until 2009-10, if Schenn makes the Leafs next season.
If Schenn stays more than 40 NHL games, it counts as a season of service. After seven years in the NHL, a player is eligible for unrestricted free agency.
Another option for the Leafs is to keep Schenn until early December and then lend him to the Canadian junior team for the International Ice Hockey Federation world under-20 championship in Ottawa, and then make a decision as to whether he would return to the NHL or junior.
Through five games, Schenn has averaged 21 minutes 39 seconds of ice time. Only veteran defencemen Tomas Kaberle (24:59) and Pavel Kubina (22:19) have played more. Schenn also has become one of the Leafs' top penalty killers.
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