Despite a report this week that the Leafs were close to a deal with a pending UFA, a new report suggests otherwise
Several reports have come out in recent weeks that there is a great deal of mutual interest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and pending UFA defenseman Luke Schenn in getting a deal done that would see Schenn return to Toronto. The main sticking points for Schenn at this stage of his career have less to do with money and more to do with term, trade protection and the ability to keep his family rooted for some time.
Earlier this week, we received a tip that Schenn and the Leafs were closing in on a potential deal, which was pretty much in line with what types of reports had been out there regarding the Leafs and Schenn making some headway in negotiations. Now, a new report out of Vancouver suggests that the buzz in Toronto is not exactly factual.
Vancouver reporter Rick Dhaliwal shared on Friday that, as far as he has heard, Schenn and the Leafs are ''not close'' on a new deal. This coming shortly after Dhaliwal himself reported that the Leafs and Schenn were in talks, hoping to find a deal that would keep him in Toronto with a contending Leafs team.
Obviously, Dhaliwal is well-connected in the Vancouver scene, but we don't know if his connections in Toronto are as strong. At any rate, we know that Schenn travelled back to Vancouver shortly after the Leafs were eliminated by the Panthers and spent some time in Vancouver before travelling back to his home in Kelowna, BC.
We know that deals can happen quick in the NHL, even if team are not close at points during the negotiations. There's a push and pull routine that needs to happen before a deal is reached, so it's not to say that a deal won't get done. But it doesn't change the fact that conflicting reports can be frustrating for a fanbase, as it's hard to get a read on exactly where things are at and what to expect. The good news in all of this is that the draft is only 11 days away and free agency is just 2 weeks out, so we should have our answer sooner than later.
