Canucks sit Luke Schenn for trade asset protection until March 3

The Vancouver Canucks have announced that defenseman Luke Schenn will be a healthy scratch Tuesday against the Nashville Predators.

Schenn will be scratched for trade purposes, as while nothing is imminent, the Canucks plan to hold him out until the March 3 trade deadline if need be. 

Schenn has reportedly been sent back to Vancouver and will not be with the team on their current road trip.

Schenn is in the final year of a two-year deal with an $850K contract, so with the Canucks well out of a playoff spot, he makes for an optimal trade target. 

He ranked 15th on Frank Seravalli’s most recent edition of Trade Targets, although two players ahead of him have since gone off the market, so he should be a few spots higher at this point.

Schenn is having a surprisingly productive season this year considering the niche he’s built as a defensive defenseman. He currently has three goals, 18 assists, and 21 points in 55 games this season, just one point short of his career-highs of 22 points that he set in 2010-11 and 2011-12 when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It’s been a bit of a backwards year for Schenn, as while he’s usually been a solid defender that struggled offensively, this season it’s his defense that has faltered while his offense has improved. 

He’s been on the ice for 2.98 expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5v5, the second-worst rate among regular Canucks defenders this year.

Schenn is in his second stint with the Canucks, as he was also with the team in 2019 when the Anaheim Ducks dealt him to Vancouver along with a seventh round pick for Michael Del Zotto.

Once a fifth-overall pick of the Leafs in 2008, Schenn has been well-travelled in his career, as along with the Leafs, Ducks, and Canucks, he’s played with the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning may be his most notable stop, as he won two Stanley Cups with them in 2020 and 2021.

The Canucks currently sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division this season with a 22-30-4 record. They are 17 points back of a playoff spot, so they are well-suited to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline and tank for Connor Bedard.