Blues Captain Brayden Schenn’s Regression This Season

When the St. Louis Blues traded Ryan O’Reilly on the NHL commerce deadline final season, they didn’t simply lose an ideal top-line participant who helped the franchise win a Stanley Cup. They misplaced a captain who was an amazing locker room chief and a chilled presence for the group. After his departure, the captaincy was left vacant earlier than the Blues named veteran ahead Brayden Schenn their twenty fourth captain in franchise historical past. Schenn, a member of the 2019 Stanley Cup championship group, arrived in St. Louis through commerce in 2017 from the Philadelphia Flyers and immediately turned one of many Blues’ greatest forwards, producing not less than 50 factors in his first six full seasons with the membership.

Schenn, a strong voice within the locker room, is without doubt one of the few gamers remaining from the lone Stanley Cup victory in franchise historical past. He has earned the respect of the group for his constant play and excellent character off the ice. Unfortunately, his play on the ice has taken an enormous step backward this season, and with the Blues roster getting into a transition section, administration may have to select sooner reasonably than later concerning Schenn’s future.

Schenn’s Lackluster Play

As valuable as Schenn is throughout the partitions of the locker room, and his management can’t be overstated, the on-ice product has been disappointing. With simply 31 factors in 59 video games, Schenn is on tempo for a career-low in factors since he arrived in St. Louis seven seasons in the past. 

Of his 31 factors, 9 got here inside a four-game span in November that included a hat-trick towards the Colorado Avalanche, after which one other eight got here throughout a five-game stretch in early January. That is 17 of Schenn’s 31 factors in 9 of his 59 video games this season. The lack of regular manufacturing has been a standard theme for the Blues this season, however it’s affordable to count on extra from a group captain.

The 32-year-old needs to be making up for his lack of offensive contributions in different areas, however he isn’t. According to JFresh Hockey, Schenn is close to the underside in defensive effectivity score amongst forwards, at an 11, whereas solely bringing in a score of 39 in offensive effectivity. Because of the drop in play, Schenn is averaging the bottom ice time of his St. Louis tenure, and he misplaced his full-time spot on the group’s penalty kill this season, overtaken by Alexey Toropchenko, Oskar Sundqvist, and Jake Neighbours.

What made Schenn such a precious piece of so many Blues playoff groups was his versatility and talent to play up and down the lineup and contribute persistently in a number of sides of the sport, like particular groups. With his dip in efficiency and lack of manufacturing, many marvel if common supervisor Doug Armstrong can afford to maintain the captain round long-term at his present cap hit of $6.5 million a yr for the following 4 seasons after this one.

Schenn’s Contract

After St. Louis received the Stanley Cup in 2019, Schenn determined to remain in St. Louis and signed an eight-year contract price $6.5 million per yr till 2027-2028. His play is declining solely 4 years into that contract. Management is making an attempt to finish a aggressive retool, and a 32-year-old barely producing at a half-point per recreation clip making north of $6 million isn’t a recipe for achievement.

Armstrong has given a number of long-term contracts to veteran gamers like Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, and Brandon Saad, all together with modified or full no-movement clauses. In doing so, he has made it tough to alter an underperforming roster. Schenn’s contract isn’t any completely different; he has a full no-trade clause till 2025 when it turns into a modified no-trade clause for the remainder of the deal.

It is tough to see a world the place Schenn is now not with the Blues. His contract, mixed together with his age and present manufacturing makes him tough to maneuver, and admittedly, the Blues in all probability don’t need to transfer him anyway. The group simply named him captain, and he’s a precious mentor, regardless of his lack of manufacturing. However, persevering with to play him at second-line middle shouldn’t be an possibility previous this season.

Schenn’s Role Moving Forward

Even although the group’s ahead depth has been lackluster this season, some vital reinforcements are developing the ranks very quickly. Wingers Jimmy Snuggerud and Zachary Bolduc are nearly actually going to be full-time NHLers subsequent season, which can assist a high six that has seen far an excessive amount of of Kasperi Kapanen and Kevin Hayes this season, whereas Dalibor Dvorsky is probably going on his approach to the NHL as effectively. Moving Dvorsky as much as the Blues, probably as early as subsequent season, would permit Schenn to tackle a extra lowered function the place the group won’t be counting on him for heavy minutes and constant level manufacturing, which is extra consistent with this stage of his profession.

The wrestle is that the Blues’ second line has not delivered offensively to expectations. Here’s how the strains may shake up subsequent season if these prospects make the roster, and Schenn would then be an integral a part of a management group to mentor these younger gamers.

Things may change relying on the strikes Armstrong makes within the low season. Oskar Sundqvist was not included on this projected lineup however is prone to keep in St. Louis. These strains additionally don’t think about a possible Pavel Buchnevich, Jordan Kyrou commerce, or a doable Hayes transfer. Pushing Schenn down the lineup makes the Blues’ ahead core extra balanced and well-rounded.

Trading Schenn would assist the group within the brief and long run, however holding him round to mentor Snuggerud, Dvorsky, Bolduc, and Otto Stenberg can be within the group’s greatest curiosity. Schenn’s days of being a 50-60-point producer could also be over, but when the Blues teaching employees can discover a lowered function that doesn’t require him to be an offensive motor, he could possibly be very important to the retooling effort.