Luke Schenn Traded to Maple Leafs from Canucks for 3rd-Round Draft Pick

The Toronto Maple Leafs are loading up ahead of the NHL’s Friday trade deadline.

Toronto has acquired defenseman Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick, the franchise announced Tuesday.

The news came shortly after the Maple Leafs reportedly traded defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick.

Schenn, who is in the final year of a two-year, $1.7 million deal, joins a growing list of new faces in Toronto that includes Gustafsson, Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty.

The 33-year-old was one of the more prominent names on the market this winter as his skill set was in high demand for teams making a push for the playoffs. He’s a physical stay-at-home defender who should be solid in a depth role for the Maple Leafs.

Schenn has spent the last two seasons of his career in Vancouver. Through 55 games, he has notched three goals and 18 assists for 21 points and is a plus-nine.

Schenn has also spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks over his 15-year career. The Maple Leafs selected him fifth overall in the 2008 draft, and he spent his first four seasons with the franchise.

The Saskatchewan native was a member of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2020 and 2021, so he brings plenty of postseason experience to a Toronto team looking to advance past the first round for the first time since 2004.

The Maple Leafs sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 37-15-8 record (82 points). While it’s unlikely they catch the first-place Boston Bruins (46-8-5, 97 points), the franchise is on pace to secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Canucks, meanwhile, are in sell mode as they sit 12th in the Western Conference with a 24-31-5 record.