On this day in 2019, the Vancouver Canucks acquired defenceman Luke Schenn and a seventh-round selection in the 2020 NHL draft in exchange for Michael Del Zotto.
Since being drafted into the NHL in 2008 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Schenn has travelled across the league to a handful of NHL teams, including the Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, and the Ducks.
Before coming to Vancouver, Schenn was primarily slotted in with the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls, and the thought crossed his mind that his career might be coming to an end.
“I’d be like, ‘OK, s---, am I done?'” Schenn told The Athletic’s Joe Smith. “‘Is this totally over?’
“But I just trusted and believed that once I got going, there would be an opportunity.”
When he joined the Canucks after the trade, he was immediately sent down to play with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. Still, before long, he joined the Canucks for 18 games recording two assists and two points.
He quickly stole the hearts of fans, even if it was for a short time. On March 24th, Schenn set a franchise record for the most hits in a single game with 12. Schenn jumped at any opportunity to stand up for his teammates, which included playing a significant role when it came to his younger teammates, such as Quinn Hughes.
However, as the season came to a close, rumours began to swirl that those 18 games would be his only games with the Canucks and they were right. Although it wasn’t a trade that found Schenn seeing himself out of Vancouver. Instead, he opted to sign as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning on the opening day of free agency in 2019.
In Tampa, the blueliner won his first Stanley Cup and did it again in the following 2020-21 campaign. Following his second Stanley Cup victory, Schenn decided to return to the Canucks, signing with them in 2021 as a free agent.
Throughout 139 games with the Cancuks, Schenn recorded eight goals and 40 points. He was traded again in 2023 to the Toronto Maple Leafs and, over the summer, signed as a free agent with the Nashville Predators. Schenn has four points across 25 games with the Predators in 2023-24.
As for Del Zotto, the defenceman only lasted 12 games with the Ducks before being traded to the St.Louis Blues just over a month later. He re-joined the Ducks in July of 2019 as a free agent, where he recorded two goals and 15 points across 49 games. Del Zotto signed as a free agent a year later with the Columbus Blue Jackets and then the Ottawa Senators in 2021-22. He retired in 2023 following a series of trades.
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