<p><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="500" height="381" src="https://i0.wp.com/theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/schenn1.jpg?resize=500%2C381&#038;ssl=1" alt="" /></p>
<p>Luke Schenn needs a new contract and this late in the game it&#8217;s incredibly unlikely he won&#8217;t be a Toronto Maple Leaf at the start of training camp. He&#8217;s a guy that Brian Burke loves:&nbsp;he hits, he fights, he blocks shots and he&#8217;s apparently a good kid in the locker room if you&#8217;re into that sort of thing.</p>
<p>What odd is that the <a href="http://theleafsnation.com/2011/9/14/luke-schenn-rumored-deal-worth-11-12-over-3-years">rumors swirling around have Luke Schenn earning almost $4M&nbsp;per season</a> and that seems pretty high given Schenn&#8217;s skillset. Defensive defensemen are generally fairly underrated. Mike Komisarek got $4.5M&nbsp;to be a big shutdown guy in Toronto (ignore that he actually sucks, he was a premiere free agent). Francois Beauchemin got $3.8M&nbsp;to be a shutdown guy. Anton Volchenkov got $4.25M&nbsp;in free agency. All of those guys were unrestricted free agents and while I&nbsp;understand paying for potential the reality is you need to put the squeeze on your RFAs.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I&nbsp;pulled a list of comparables for Luke Schenn. My criteria were:</p>
<ul>
<li>Aged 19-24</li>
<li>Between their first and third season in the NHL</li>
<li>1700 minutes played in the season</li>
<li>Between 15 and 25 points</li>
</ul>
<p><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="500" height="358" src="https://i0.wp.com/theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/schenn2.jpg?resize=500%2C358&#038;ssl=1" alt="" /></p>
<p>A&nbsp;list of Luke Schenn&#8217;s recent comparables:</p>
<table border="1" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center">&nbsp;</td>
<td align="center">Yr</td>
<td align="center">Age</td>
<td align="center">G</td>
<td align="center">A</td>
<td align="center">Pts</td>
<td align="center">TOI</td>
<td align="center">Contract</td>
<td align="center">Value ($M)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Zach Bogosian</td>
<td align="center">2010</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">1734</td>
<td align="center">2011</td>
<td align="center">2.5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Dan Girardi</td>
<td align="center">2009</td>
<td align="center">24</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">1765</td>
<td align="center">2010</td>
<td align="center">3.325</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Dan Hamhuis</td>
<td align="center">2007</td>
<td align="center">24</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">1728</td>
<td align="center">2006</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Duncan Keith</td>
<td align="center">2006</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">1898</td>
<td align="center">2006</td>
<td align="center">1.475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Zbynek Michalek</td>
<td align="center">2006</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">24</td>
<td align="center">1872</td>
<td align="center">2006</td>
<td align="center">1.25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Marc Staal</td>
<td align="center">2009</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">1733</td>
<td align="center">2010</td>
<td align="center">3.975</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Average</td>
<td align="center">2008</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">1788</td>
<td align="center">2008</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="404" height="300" src="https://i0.wp.com/theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/schenn3.jpg?resize=404%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" /></p>
<p>How do Schenn&#8217;s numbers stack up against the average?</p>
<table border="1" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center">&nbsp;</td>
<td align="center">Yr</td>
<td align="center">Age</td>
<td align="center">G</td>
<td align="center">A</td>
<td align="center">Pts</td>
<td align="center">TOI</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Luke Schenn</td>
<td align="center">2011</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">1834</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">Average</td>
<td align="center">2008</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">1788</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>This feels like a reasonable comparison except for the fact that the cap has gone up. In 2008-2009 the salary cap was $56.7M&nbsp;as compared to the current $64.3M, a 13.4%&nbsp;difference.&nbsp;$2,000,000 plus 13.4%&nbsp;is $2.26M&nbsp;per season although I&nbsp;think Zbynek Michalek and Duncan Keith&#8217;s numbers are extraordinarily low. I&#8217;d pin Luke Schenn&#8217;s worth on a three year deal somewhere between $2.75M and $3.25M. The truth is $4M&nbsp;gets you a big name guy. Hamhuis&#8217; contract last summer was worth $4M. Ehrhoff&#8217;s cap hit from this summer is $4M.</p>
<p>It takes a lot for a d-man to crack the $4M&nbsp;barrier: he needs to be a recognized, elite UFA, Norris candidate, or just score a lot. I&nbsp;love Luke Schenn as a player but I&nbsp;just don&#8217;t see his pricetag being that high.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><img width="500" height="381" src="https://theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/schenn1.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Luke Schenn needs a new contract and this late in the game it's incredibly unlikely he won't be a Toronto Maple Leaf at the start of training camp. He's a guy that Brian Burke loves:&nbsp;he hits, he fights, he blocks shots and he's apparently a good kid in the locker room if you're into that sort of thing.</p>
<p>What odd is that the <a href="http://theleafsnation.com/2011/9/14/luke-schenn-rumored-deal-worth-11-12-over-3-years">rumors swirling around have Luke Schenn earning almost $4M&nbsp;per season</a> and that seems pretty high given Schenn's skillset. Defensive defensemen are generally fairly underrated. Mike Komisarek got $4.5M&nbsp;to be a big shutdown guy in Toronto (ignore that he actually sucks, he was a premiere free agent). Francois Beauchemin got $3.8M&nbsp;to be a shutdown guy. Anton Volchenkov got $4.25M&nbsp;in free agency. All of those guys were unrestricted free agents and while I&nbsp;understand paying for potential the reality is you need to put the squeeze on your RFAs.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I&nbsp;pulled a list of comparables for Luke Schenn. My criteria were:</p>
<ul>
    <li>Aged 19-24</li>
    <li>Between their first and third season in the NHL</li>
    <li>1700 minutes played in the season</li>
    <li>Between 15 and 25 points</li>
</ul>
<p><img width="500" height="358" src="https://theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/schenn2.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>A&nbsp;list of Luke Schenn's recent comparables:</p>
<p>
<table border="1" align="center">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">&nbsp;</td>
            <td align="center">Yr</td>
            <td align="center">Age</td>
            <td align="center">G</td>
            <td align="center">A</td>
            <td align="center">Pts</td>
            <td align="center">TOI</td>
            <td align="center">Contract</td>
            <td align="center">Value ($M)</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Zach Bogosian</td>
            <td align="center">2010</td>
            <td align="center">19</td>
            <td align="center">10</td>
            <td align="center">13</td>
            <td align="center">23</td>
            <td align="center">1734</td>
            <td align="center">2011</td>
            <td align="center">2.5</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Dan Girardi</td>
            <td align="center">2009</td>
            <td align="center">24</td>
            <td align="center">4</td>
            <td align="center">18</td>
            <td align="center">22</td>
            <td align="center">1765</td>
            <td align="center">2010</td>
            <td align="center">3.325</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Dan Hamhuis</td>
            <td align="center">2007</td>
            <td align="center">24</td>
            <td align="center">6</td>
            <td align="center">14</td>
            <td align="center">20</td>
            <td align="center">1728</td>
            <td align="center">2006</td>
            <td align="center">2</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Duncan Keith</td>
            <td align="center">2006</td>
            <td align="center">22</td>
            <td align="center">9</td>
            <td align="center">12</td>
            <td align="center">21</td>
            <td align="center">1898</td>
            <td align="center">2006</td>
            <td align="center">1.475</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Zbynek Michalek</td>
            <td align="center">2006</td>
            <td align="center">23</td>
            <td align="center">9</td>
            <td align="center">15</td>
            <td align="center">24</td>
            <td align="center">1872</td>
            <td align="center">2006</td>
            <td align="center">1.25</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Marc Staal</td>
            <td align="center">2009</td>
            <td align="center">22</td>
            <td align="center">3</td>
            <td align="center">12</td>
            <td align="center">15</td>
            <td align="center">1733</td>
            <td align="center">2010</td>
            <td align="center">3.975</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Average</td>
            <td align="center">2008</td>
            <td align="center">22</td>
            <td align="center">7</td>
            <td align="center">14</td>
            <td align="center">21</td>
            <td align="center">1788</td>
            <td align="center">2008</td>
            <td align="center">2</td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
</p>
<p><img width="404" height="300" src="https://theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/schenn3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>How do Schenn's numbers stack up against the average?</p>
<p>
<table border="1" align="center">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">&nbsp;</td>
            <td align="center">Yr</td>
            <td align="center">Age</td>
            <td align="center">G</td>
            <td align="center">A</td>
            <td align="center">Pts</td>
            <td align="center">TOI</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Luke Schenn</td>
            <td align="center">2011</td>
            <td align="center">21</td>
            <td align="center">5</td>
            <td align="center">17</td>
            <td align="center">22</td>
            <td align="center">1834</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td align="center">Average</td>
            <td align="center">2008</td>
            <td align="center">22</td>
            <td align="center">7</td>
            <td align="center">14</td>
            <td align="center">21</td>
            <td align="center">1788</td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
</p>
<p>This feels like a reasonable comparison except for the fact that the cap has gone up. In 2008-2009 the salary cap was $56.7M&nbsp;as compared to the current $64.3M, a 13.4%&nbsp;difference.&nbsp;$2,000,000 plus 13.4%&nbsp;is $2.26M&nbsp;per season although I&nbsp;think Zbynek Michalek and Duncan Keith's numbers are extraordinarily low. I'd pin Luke Schenn's worth on a three year deal somewhere between $2.75M and $3.25M. The truth is $4M&nbsp;gets you a big name guy. Hamhuis' contract last summer was worth $4M. Ehrhoff's cap hit from this summer is $4M.</p>
<p>It takes a lot for a d-man to crack the $4M&nbsp;barrier: he needs to be a recognized, elite UFA, Norris candidate, or just score a lot. I&nbsp;love Luke Schenn as a player but I&nbsp;just don't see his pricetag being that high.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

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