Less than a minute into Sunday's game at Scottrade Center against the Buffalo Sabres, Brayden Schenn put the puck in the net for his 16th goal of the season. It was his sixth goal in the past four games for the former Flyer and current St. Louis Blues center.
Schenn scoring is becoming something of a regularity for the Blues these days, making fans quickly forget about the Jori Lehtera era.
Let me drop a little perspective on you while you wipe the drool from your jaw: Schenn's 16 goals match the total that former Lehtera gave the Blues in the last two seasons combined. If Blues general manager Doug Armstrong isn't convicted of NHL trade larceny sometime this winter, something is wrong. One could bet on the over for the possibility of Armstrong's extension talks being tied to how great the addition of Schenn has turned out.
This wasn't a comeback story by any means, just a pie that has tasted sweeter than expected. From the get-go, the Schenn trade was viewed as a solid grab for the Blues, due to Lehtera's regression and Schenn's relatively young age and projections. However, no one saw the guy passing the 16 goal mark before Christmas. It's a pleasant turnaround for a team in need of big-time scorers, especially with the loss of Jaden Schwartz to a right ankle injury.
After all, the Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko line had been the hottest line in the NHL, totaling 102 points before Schwartz's injury in Detroit on Sunday afternoon. Seeing how the individual players react to the injury will be key. Tarasenko is stuck in a slump — at least by his standards — including only three goals in his past 11 games coming into Sunday's game. Schenn wasted little time on Sunday, and the goal came at even strength.
Schenn's ability to produce in 5-on-5 play is the most impressive marking of his start. Only three of his 16 goals have come on the power play, a place where he found 17 of his 25 goals last season. Schenn's ability to pounce on rebounds led to his Sunday score in the first period, picking up scraps off Robin Lehner's pad for an easy tap-in goal. Schenn can also scan the perimeter of the offensive zone for a snipe or set up an inbound Vladimir Tarasenko, making him a threat that isn't easy to contain.
He also isn't afraid to mix it up with the other team, going into the dirty areas of the ice to retrieve a puck or send a message. After Sabres defenseman Justin Falk threw an aggressive check on Alex Steen, Schenn came over and got in Falk's face. You don't have to be a fighter or known thug in this league to inform the other team that certain things are off the books, even a rough yet legal check. That is the sign of a leader, something more than just a man who can score, which is what the Blues need at the moment.
For those wondering, it will be impossible to not align the production of Schenn with Lehtera for at least the rest of the season. At the moment, Lehtera has two points and two penalty minutes in 17 games for Philly while the new Blue is a +24 and has 37 points in 31 games.
Sure, one could argue that the Flyers got two draft picks in the swap, but those are hypothetical talents, standing far away from sure things. Schenn has been a sure thing for the Blues as the midway point of the season approaches.
The 26-year-old Saskatoon native has two years left on a four-year, $20 million deal, and should link up with Schwartz and Tarasenko for the remainder of that deal when all three are healthy. Schenn has averaged more than 20 goals over the past four seasons and sits just four away from that mark before Dec. 11 arrives.
The definition of the word "steal" in the dictionary reads like this: "take another person's property without permission and without the intent of returning it."
Doug Armstrong didn't take Brayden Schenn without permission from Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, but the deal certainly looks pretty crooked at this point, angling in the Blues favor.
Near the end of Sunday's gritty battle with the downtrodden yet hungry Sabres team that ended in a 3-2 Blues victory, Schenn had a chance right in front of the net, getting decked from behind as he fired on net.
There was no quit.
With Schenn, there never is. He gives you skill, effort, and finish. Remember Blues fans, this is only the beginning of the Schenn era in St. Louis.
