Report: Veteran defenseman hoping to stay with Maple Leafs

CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported Thursday that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Luke Schenn likely wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The insider expects the rearguard to draw a well-deserved raise in pay on his next contract. Dhaliwal added on Donnie & Dhali The Team that Schenn is seeking some term on his next contract, as well as some no trade protection.

It makes sense that the soon-to-be 34-year-old would like some stability for himself and his young family, as he has bounced around the league the past few seasons, playing under several contracts that have been for near the NHL minimum. Schenn is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career, having put up four goals and 18 assists in 70 games split between the Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks this season. He is trying to cash in on what could very well be his last big payday in the NHL.

In other evening notes:

• Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that he doesn’t believe the delay in the New York Rangers' search for a new coach is tied to former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. Brooks lists several reasons for his thinking, here, including the fact that general manager Chris Drury is currently in Buffalo at the scouting combine. Brooks also notes that he can’t see NHL commissioner Gary Bettman meeting with Quenneville before the draft to discuss reinstatement and that the Rangers would like to have someone in place before free agency begins on July 1^st.
• The final stage in the sale of the Ottawa Senators has been going on for over three weeks and according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, there has been no indication of who will be awarded preferred bidder status. Garrioch writes that this may be a tactic used to keep all the groups engaged, in case they need fall back options should one of the bids fall through. The belief is that the final stage has been slowed by all of the back-and-forth between the parties involved as they try to hammer down the final details at the likely end of a very long process. Garrioch relays that is does appear that this has become a three-horse race and that it appears as though the Neko Sparks group is a long shot to win ownership of the club. They are having issues putting the financing in place, but at this time, they are still in the running.