Insider Chris Johnston lists 3 most attractive aspects of Toronto Maple Leafs' potential reacquisition of $8,250,000 D-man

Nashville Predators defenseman Luke Schenn is a perfect fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs at this year’s trade deadline, according to NHL insider Chris Johnston. In a piece published by The Athletic on Wednesday, Johnston discussed how the Leafs could benefit from bringing Schenn back to Toronto.

It’s worth noting that Schenn was the Leafs' first-round pick (fifth overall) in the 2008 draft. He played four seasons in Toronto before getting traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for James van Riemsdyk.

Since then, the Leafs reacquired Schenn for the playoff run in 2023, pairing him with No. 1 blue liner Morgan Rielly. Johnston claims this move is the right one for Toronto at this point.

Let’s take a look at the three most attractive aspects of the Leafs' potential reacquisition of Schenn.

3 most attractive aspects of Toronto Maple Leafs reacquiring Luke Schenn

#3. Cost

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Luke Schenn at the 2023 trade deadline hoping to find a solid partner for Morgan Rielly. The move largely worked and it only cost Toronto a third-round pick.

This year, the price to acquire Schenn could be similar as a fourth or fifth-rounder might get the job done. Moreover, Schenn comes with a relatively affordable cap hit.

He is in the last year of a three-year $8.25 million deal, with a $2.75 cap hit. While Chris Johnston believes there may be some salary retention involved in the deal, there’s a chance the Leafs take on Schenn’s entire cap hit.

#2. Schenn is used to playing in Toronto

Some players don’t handle the pressure of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs well. The same goes for other markets like Montreal, New York or Vancouver.

However, that’s not the case with Schenn. He is used to playing in Toronto and shouldn’t have trouble adjusting to the pressure of another playoff run with the team.

Moreover, the 35-year-old is a strong locker-room presence and should provide the Leafs with leadership, which is something teams cannot get enough of, especially in the postseason.

#1. Schenn is a perfect fit for Rielly

Johnston’s most compelling argument for reacquiring Schenn is how well he plays next to Morgan Rielly. Rielly has had plenty of defense partners over the years, like Ron Hainsey, who helped him do his thing as a two-way defenseman.

That was evident during the 2023 playoffs. Reacquiring Schenn would give Toronto the certainty of knowing they have a solid partner for their top blue liner.

Meanwhile, Leafs coach Craig Berube can deploy Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev in a shutdown role with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Timmins or Simon Benoit in the bottom pairing.

It remains to be seen if the Toronto Maple Leafs can pull off a trade with the Nashville Predators to bring Schenn back for another playoff run.