Peter D.
Moderator
I want to keep this as a separate discussion from the trade itself wherein we can concentrate solely on Schenn and his tenure here.
Schenn, the guy deemed to be the start of a new era in Toronto, a #5 pick who was labelled as a future Leaf captain from the get-go, a player that was supposed to anchor the Leafs' D for 10-15 years -- gone just like that after four years.
So what happened? Was Schenn rushed into the NHL as an 18-year when he should have gone back to junior for another year to continue to hone his skills? Was he, despite being a high pick, just not that good and more expectations were placed on him than there should have been based mainly on where he was drafted? Was it his coach...the system? All of these? Or none and he needed more time, and the tutelage of Carlyle, to bring out the player in him?
For me, Schenn blew me away as an 18-year old -- he held his own much better than one would expect at such an age. But he regressed pretty significantly in my eyes, but I don't know if Wilson could be entirely blamed for that. Wilson couldn't entirely control his foot speed or lack of shot.
While I do wish Schenn was given a bit more time to see what Carlyle could do with him, a part of me also thinks he is what he is and maybe the expectations of him being a high pick were just too much for him to live up to.
Schenn, the guy deemed to be the start of a new era in Toronto, a #5 pick who was labelled as a future Leaf captain from the get-go, a player that was supposed to anchor the Leafs' D for 10-15 years -- gone just like that after four years.
So what happened? Was Schenn rushed into the NHL as an 18-year when he should have gone back to junior for another year to continue to hone his skills? Was he, despite being a high pick, just not that good and more expectations were placed on him than there should have been based mainly on where he was drafted? Was it his coach...the system? All of these? Or none and he needed more time, and the tutelage of Carlyle, to bring out the player in him?
For me, Schenn blew me away as an 18-year old -- he held his own much better than one would expect at such an age. But he regressed pretty significantly in my eyes, but I don't know if Wilson could be entirely blamed for that. Wilson couldn't entirely control his foot speed or lack of shot.
While I do wish Schenn was given a bit more time to see what Carlyle could do with him, a part of me also thinks he is what he is and maybe the expectations of him being a high pick were just too much for him to live up to.