In the span of two weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs have gone from likely sellers to legitimate buyers, going on a 6-0-2 run over their last eight games to catapult themselves back into the playoffs.
Almost everything is starting to click, but one concern remains: the injury to their best defender, Chris Tanev. As a result, a right-wing blue liner is at the top of GM Brad Treliving’s wish list ahead of the trade deadline, and the latest name to be added to the growing list of potential targets is a familiar face in the form of Luke Schenn.
The Maple Leafs’ 2008 first-round pick (fifth overall) would reportedly welcome a change of scenery — especially for a playoff contender — so could a third stint in Toronto be the charm?
The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel seems to think so, as he recently included Schenn as one of three defensemen the Leafs could target to strengthen their blueline amid their push for the postseason.
Siegel wrote:
“Another follow-up with Schenn could be the move that suits the Leafs right now… Bringing Schenn back for a third time still makes sense. Schenn should at least be an upgrade to the Philippe Myers/Henry Thrun/Dakota Mermis/Matt Benning cluster. And if he can replicate some of the chemistry he had with Rielly and move the pucks as confidently as he did in the postseason two years ago, the Leafs will to be in a better place – not a great place.” place, but better than the present and with very little expenditure. The best Rielly has looked in recent years was during that stretch in 2023, when he played with Schenn.
The 36-year-old Schenn is a UFA awaiting the third and final season of the three-year, $8.25 million contract signed with the Predators in 2023 in free agency.
Luke Schenn could make sense for Toronto
Not only would Schenn be affordable in terms of the salary cap, but he would also come at a much lower acquisition cost in a trade, something that is critical for a Maple Leafs team that has very few picks and prospects.
Siegel also notes that Morgan Rielly — who has had a rollercoaster ride in the 2025-2026 season — has looked his best when teamed with Schenn in the past, so it may be worth trying to rekindle that chemistry.
For years, the Maple Leafs chased the biggest names at the trade deadline, and while they should try to acquire again this season, the answer might not come via a splashy move, which is exactly what makes Schenn a realistic and logical option.
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