The Kings are expected to announce — probably tomorrow — that Brayden Schenn will return his his junior team, Brandon of the WHL. Schenn has appeared in eight games with the Kings but has not appeared in a game since Oct. 30. In between, he had a two-week conditioning stint in Manchester, but with Alexei Ponikarovsky on the verge of returning — not to mention the possibility of the Kings acquiring Marco Sturm — Schenn’s chances of sticking on the NHL roster were further diminished.
It’s highly likely, now, that Schenn will also be able to participate in the World Juniors tournament, which begins on Dec. 26 in Buffalo. After today’s morning skate, coach Terry Murray endorsed the idea of Schenn playing in the tournament.
MURRAY: “That’s a decision for management. My candid opinion would be, sure, that would be a great thing for him to go play for Canada in the World Juniors like that. It’s great competition and invaluable experience.”
Good luck Schenn!
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Harty Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:41 pm
@Harry, great news for Canada, and Schenn’er will be fine long term as a King…
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Schenn will be great for us when he cracks the lineup. Hopefully he goes down with a good attitude and takes some names at the world juniors.
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At least they have stopped messing with his head. Good luck schenn, dominate and return hungry next year.
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harglebargle Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:55 pm
@Oldthunder, who said they messed with his head at all? that’s very presumptuous from the armchair.
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It’s the correct move under the circumstances.
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jayhay Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:32 pm
@Crown Royal,
the kid in limbo was starting to become detrimental. even if he has outplayed the compition in the WHL, let him play.
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MARTY Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:11 pm
@Crown Royal, JUST ANOTHER HIGH DRAFT PICK THATS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO CRACK THE KINGS (HICKEY, FOBERT,BOYLE), BAD SCOUTING OR OWNERSHIP HAS A BIGGER HAND IN THIS.
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jet Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:18 pm
@MARTY, becasue every player we pick should come in at 18 and set teh league on fire. Actually, it only took Boyle 9 years and 2 teams. Not bad
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Crown Royal Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:20 pm
@MARTY,
Forbert is eighteen years old. He projects as a top two defenseman within five years.
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jayhay Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:21 pm
@MARTY,
Forbert was already committed to UND and was drafted knowing full well that he is going to play NCAA for a handful of years.
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Crown Royal Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:22 pm
@MARTY,
Should also have mentioned Dave Taylor-Al Murray drafted Boyle. Different GM and different scounting staff and director.
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soyokaze Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:22 pm
@MARTY, Anthony, is that you?
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HBFan Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:34 pm
@MARTY,
That was a lucid and well thought out post. It would be very detrimental to our franchise to follow the example of Ken Holland and the Red Wings whose horrific scouting dept only produces players who cannot crack the NHL lineup until they are about 23. Now that would be a true setback.
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Thanks Schenn. Have a great WJC and come back here next year ready to play at the Big Boy Level!
So it would appear DL was holding off sending him back down until he got a deal done. And DL getting Schenn the conditioning stint in Manchester was pure slick.
Time to show what you learned Schenn!
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Schenn’s time will come. The Kings obviously jumped the gun on him, but he’s not that far away. He’s only 19, and he really belongs in the AHL, not juniors. His future still looks good.
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Go lead in Brandon, and we’ll see you in Manchester for the playoffs!~
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were happy to have you back in brandon schenn, come help us!!! we have a goalie this year haha
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good to hear!! The guy needs consistant ice time even if its in Juniors. Cant wait until he is a regular with the Big Boys though.
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Rich,
Can you or someone post a link to the Marco Sturm trade rumor? I haven’t heard anything about this.
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daren Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:06 pm
@daren, Lol..just saw it on the insider…duh!
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3Bcrown Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:08 pm
@daren,
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=5875455
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=343821
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:10 pm
@daren,
Just go a couple posts down on Rich’s blog. It’s not a rumor.
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Stuart Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:25 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache, it’s funny when you see it in Awnole’s voice from Kindergarten Cop…
“It’s nawta rooma”
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daren Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
@Stuart, lmao
I thought Brayden had a shot this year, but he needs the endurance. He should clean up very nicely in juniors. GOOD LUCK SCHENNER! Kick Butt!
Just saw the news on Sturm. Solid pickup for what we paid. Anything more than a draft pick and I would say no. He is injury prone, so hopefully our rehab guys will do the wonders they’ve done with Zeus & Willie. Marco will serve us well on the 2nd line with Stoll. I was hoping for a consistent 35 goal scorer on the LW, but he’s had 3 seasons of 27-29 a year. Pretty close. Hopefully he’ll provide more offensive punch and forecheck on that 2nd line.
Stoll is starting to slip again back to his old self. He needs to pick it up again or Schenn or Lokti will have his spot next year. Maybe Sturm can help him with that when he gets here, provided he passes the physical.
All in all, very nice work DL. I’m guessing you’re a coupon shooper at the supermarket too. Nothing wrong with that. Saves me money.
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Yeah he’ll be a regular with the Big Boys on some other team cause our retarded organization would rather play John Zeiller-types than guys with skill….what a joke. It’s so obvious the Kings need skill players and we send one of the few we’ve got back to Manitoba to play with 17 and 18 year olds?
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funky Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:35 pm
@Tony,
he was not ready to be in the NHL. He wasn’t physically ready and was always a step behind. They made the right choice
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Puckn-A Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
@Tony, Um that skill was developed there and he really lit it up here lol. Looked gassed by the 4th shift, had one decent game imo. He wasn’t ready for the role he was given and why have 60+ healthy scratches?
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Tony Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:50 pm
@Puckn-A, you make excellent points. He didnt light it up here, but he had tons of scoring chances-yes he didnt finish but he would have started to. I’m just frustrated with the lack of skill on this team. We have tons of character guys but very few skill guys. And some of those character no-skill guys are playing on our top lines. It makes no sense.
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jet Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:21 pm
@Tony, Yah that Kopi guy is a bum. We probably should have traded him and kept the 5th rounder.
Two weeks from now I could see the team skating like this
Smyth-kopitar-Williams
Sturm-stoll-brown
Poni-zues-simmonds
Cliffy-Richardson-Lewis/westgarth
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Stuart Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
@KH, two weeks has never seemed so far away…
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jayhay Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:34 pm
@Stuart, unless its three
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Finally! Took them long enough to make a decision, but now that we have Sturm it makes sense that they were holding him in reserve.
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Work hard and we will see you in 5 months.
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Now that he has a taste of both the NHL and the AHL, I have a feeling he is going to be very ready come training camp next year. He probably learned more in these last few months than he would have learned in 2 Junior seasons. Hang in there Schenn, you are the future. Is there anything that precludes us (other than the cap hit) from bringing him back up from the Juniors should we really need him this season?
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KC23 Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:20 pm
@DesertKing, Well said. I think the Kings handeled this guy perfectly. He’ll be so ready come next summer.
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I look forward to Schenn’s Calder win next year.
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rinkrat2 Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:49 pm
@Dave, Please pass the kool-aid
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Dave Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:19 pm
@rinkrat2, I would but I’m pretty thirsty. I don’t think it is absurd, or being a homer, to believe he would be one of the favorites.
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I’ve never agreed with this move. For God’s sake, he was widely recognized as the best player on the ice during the Vancouver game and this team lacks talent. Oh well, let’s hope playing consistently does SOMETHING for his development, even if it’s against other kids. I would have liked the team to make a commitment to keeping him this season, let him get used to the speed of the game, learn how to cycle effectively against the bigger bodies and longer reach of the NHL defensemen.
God knows the power play could use him.
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Tony Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:52 pm
@Brian, totally agree. I’ve been saying it in all my posts-we need skill players especially on our top two lines-but instead we have character guys and grinders.
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DesertKing, yes I think the experience of being in the pro atmosphere will go along way next year. And yes, we can call him back up if we really need him, but that’s unlikely unless we are injury plagued after the deadline. He’s had a good long look and he’ll get another one next year
Dave, yes I think it’s a fair assumption that Schenn will be on the squad next year, and probably have a helluva year.
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Last year DL did not allow Voinov and Lokhtionov to play for Russian Junior Team.
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So, this creates the question…will Schenn earn the 2nd or 3rd Center position next year, and who will he replace?
Out of the top 3 Centers, Michal Handzus is the only one due to become an Unrestricted free agent, and Stoll has one more year remaining in his contract at $3.6m.
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Yes but except for a few flashes early this season Stoll is not a second line center-defnitely not on a Stanley Cup contender-what we pretend/hope to be
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This year, Stoll beat the kid out. IMO, its better for Schenn to play somewhere else then to sit around LA collecting splinters in his you know where. The kid showed some promise and we know for sure he’ll be older and stronger next year. Maybe injured also but who can do anything about that.
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An unpopular fan decisioin but a wise developemental decision. 1 more year to ensure this young talent will be NHL ready. 1 more year under contract and increasing the core of this team. Look for this kid to be a terror next year!! Looking at the 2nd line next year!
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I understand why the club has made this move, but for some reason I am having a tough time embracing it.
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Looks like I’ll have to see when the Wheat Kings are in town again.
Good luck, Schenn!
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I think this is a good move. The time spent around the team gave Schenn a taste of what will be expected of him next year.
As for the deal to bring Sturm in, I’ll wait on that since he is coming off an injury and hasn’t played since last years play-offs.
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Schenn should be up on the Kings. All we seem to do is stockpile young talent and hold them back in the AHL or in this case Junior. Schenn can play at the NHL level, but it’s hard when your slotted in on the 4th Line everynigjht. Keep him we could use him
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holly Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 7:28 pm
@Timbo from Canada, Honestly, he’s at a level where he’d be considered strong at an AHL level but questionable for an NHL player.
Better for him to go back to juniors, log big minutes and work on his skating seeing as he can’t play in the AHL.
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