Leafs bring back Schenn, deal away Sandin, Engvall
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to wheel and deal ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
The club reacquired Luke Schenn — nearly 15 years after selecting him fifth overall at the 2008 draft — on the heels of two other Tuesday deals that saw Toronto send fellow defenceman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals and forward Pierre Engvall to the New York Islanders.
The swap for Schenn, a pending unrestricted free agent set to add further depth to an organization determined to end its ugly run of playoff failures, included the Leafs sending the Vancouver Canucks a third-round pick in June.
The 33-year-old has three goals and 21 points in 2022-23. In 918 career regular-season games with Toronto, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Arizona, Anaheim, Tampa and Vancouver, Schenn has put up 41 goals and 190 points.
A Stanley Cup champion with Tampa in 2020 and 2021, the Saskatoon native has added three goals and three assist in 31 post-season games.
The Leafs traded Schenn to Philadelphia for James van Riemsdyk in 2012 after four seasons in Toronto.
The flurry of afternoon activity with the trade deadline set for Friday started with Toronto shipping Sandin to Washington for blueliner Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 firstrounder. The Leafs then dealt Engvall to New York for a third-round selection in 2024.
Gustafsson has seven goals and 38 points in 61 games in 2022-23. In 370 career games with Chicago, Calgary, Philadelphia, Montreal and Washington, the 30-year-old has put up 39 goals and 187 points. He’s added eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 31 playoff contests. The pick coming to the Leafs in Tuesday’s deal with Washington was originally acquired from Boston in last week’s trade where the Bruins got defenceman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals.
Schenn and Gustafsson join a roster that’s been significantly reworked by general manager Kyle Dubas in recent weeks as the Leafs look to advance in the post-season for the first time since 2004.
Toronto acquired centres Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from St. Louis on Feb. 17 and added defenceman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty from Chicago on Monday before Tuesday’s deluge.
Also on Tuesday, the New York Rangers acquired Patrick Kane in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, reuniting the star winger with former teammate Artemi Panarin and stamping themselves as a Stanley Cup contender in the loaded Eastern Conference.
New York was believed to be out of the running for Kane after it acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis on Feb. 9. The 34-year-old Kane also had been noncommittal when asked about leaving his only NHL home.
But Kane loved playing with Panarin for two seasons at the beginning of the Russian winger’s NHL career, and the three-time Stanley Cup champion was in control of his situation because of a no-movement clause in his contract.
The Rangers sent a conditional 2023 second-round pick, a 2025 fourth-rounder and minor-leaguer Andy Welinski to the rebuilding Blackhawks and received 24-yearold Cooper Zech. Arizona received a 2025 fifth-rounder from New York to retain 25 per cent of Kane’s salary, with Chicago keeping 50 per cent.