Luke Schenn update

Brian Burke and Ron Wilson know a great deal more than the fans about how to run a hockey team, and certainly a lot more than me.

But since fans are allowed to live in a world of opinion, and our jobs don’t rest on these decisions, I will reiterate what I wrote weeks ago.

Let young Schenn really get things together by spending some time with the Marlies.

Sure, sitting in the press box is another way to let him “see the game” from a different perspective, as hockey folks like to say. Maybe that is the right approach and will help build his confidence—which surely is the only objective right now. We know he can play. He just needs to feel comfortable on the ice.

I mentioned at the time of my earlier post that the Leafs may be wise to do what the Habs did in the late 1970s, when they sent future Hall-of-Famer Rod Langway down to the minors. Heck, Langway was older than Schenn is now and had already played, if I’m not mistaken, in the WHA. He started the year with Montreal then they sent him down for a few weeks, where he could play in anonymity and re-build his game, and his confidence. It worked. When he came back he was a different player—confident, not afraid of handling the puck, his old aggressive, tough self.

That’s the Schenn we’ve all seen in junior and a bit last season (when he probably should have been playing junior, still—why do we constantly rush these young players?) and the Schenn we all want to see.

It’s obvious he is capable, and the Leafs do not need him to play big minutes right now, unless Finger is hurt. But the Marlies sure could use him—and the Leafs could use a confident Schenn a few weeks down the road, when injuries will inevitably arise.