Jets add on-ice toughness, off-ice perspective with Schenn

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This article was published 09/03/2025 (246 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RALEIGH – It is difficult to define, yet virtually impossible to ignore.

The value of championship experience can be tough to measure, especially at a time when there seems to be a metric for everything under the sun.

What the Winnipeg Jets are banking on in adding defenceman Luke Schenn is that he will make the team tougher to play against on the ice, plus be able to add some valuable perspective off the ice.

Not only does Schenn have more than 1,000 games on his resume, but he was part of two Stanley Cup championship teams as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Why is that important?

First of all, the Jets didn’t have a single player on the roster with his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s silver chalice.

Secondly, Schenn has a clear understanding of how to remain calm when the intensity ramps up, whether it’s within a game or throughout the course of a difficult series or a lengthy run — where ups-and-down are the rule and not the exception.

“Obviously, he’s been around the league. He knows what it takes to play that time of year,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “He’s had the experience of being in Tampa, winning twice. If he has knowledge, we want to hear it. To be around the guys when the heat gets turned up at that time of year, he’s one of those guys that can help calm the room and get us through those moments.”

Schenn is scheduled to meet the Jets in Winnipeg on Monday, so he wasn’t in the lineup on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes in the finale of this four-game road trip.

For a Jets team that hasn’t enjoyed much post-season success since a run to the Western Conference final in 2018, bringing in someone whose name is on Lord Stanley’s mug was a no-brainer.

But this wasn’t just about leadership ability or the ability to fit in seamlessly as a respected culture carrier either.

Arniel used the word stiffness when describing some of the elements Schenn and fellow deadline acquisition Brandon Tanev bring to the table.

The Jets are sound structurally but one of the things they can do better relates to boxing out and keeping the front of the net a bit clearer for Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

That was a major issue last spring when the Jets were eliminated in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche.

Preventing — or at least minimizing — traffic around the blue paint is something every team wants to do and is an area Schenn excels at.

“A guy that makes it a real nightmare to go to the front of the net and into the corners,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “And I think he’s an underrated puck mover coming out of his own end.”

At least at the outset, Schenn figures to slot in on the third pairing with Logan Stanley and should provide a boost to the penalty kill.

Schenn is averaging 15:35 of ice time per game this season, so it’s not like he’ll need to be sheltered much either when it comes to the quality of competition.

He can also move up the depth chart if necessary, allowing Arniel the luxury of being able to shift the pairings around a bit, depending on the circumstances.

Schenn, who has one more season left on his deal that carries an AAV of $2.75 million, has 228 hits and 76 blocked shots in 61 games this season with the Nashville Predators, so he’s no stranger to doing the little things that are critical to enjoying success.

“He’s a big body, obviously a physical presence. You see how many hits he has, blocked shots, what he’ll do for the team,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, who is familiar with Schenn from off-season training. “And just the type of guy he is. The way he’s evolved his game as well. I think it’s pretty incredible.”

Hailing from Saskatoon, Schenn has overcome some significant adversity along his hockey journey to get where he is today.

After making the jump directly to the NHL in the fall of 2008 after the Toronto Maple Leafs chose him fifth overall in the NHL Draft, Schenn spent 10 full seasons in the league before playing his first game in the American Hockey League.

He was demoted during the 2018-19 season by the Anaheim Ducks and saw time in the minors after trades to the Vancouver Canucks and Lightning.

There’s no doubt Schenn’s career was at a crossroads, but the evolution Morrissey referenced not only allowed him to return to becoming a full-time player at the highest level, he won both of his Stanley Cups after that.

After the frustration Schenn endured with the unexpected struggles of the Predators this season, joining a team atop the NHL standings and a bona fide contender figures to energize the veteran who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguin for a second round pick in 2026 and a fourth-rounder in 2027.

“He’s a player who’s very coveted and held in high regard around the league for those things,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff when asked about Schenn’s experience. “He’s a competitor. As a hockey player, or as an athlete, you want a chance to compete for a championship. I really expect an exuberance from him.

“Because when you get a little longer in the career, you know that you don’t have as many of those years left. So I think that urgency, that desire, he’ll be able to talk to the guys and say ‘You know what guys, buckle down, because it’s damn well worth it.’”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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