Schenn, Maple Leafs ready for familiar foe in Lightning
Defenseman won Stanley Cup twice with Tampa Bay, which eliminated Toronto in 1st round last season
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That's because the 33-year-old defenseman experienced their culture firsthand, having won the Cup with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
"Obviously, they're a confident bunch that feels they can beat anyone. And, obviously, they have," Schenn said.
"There's no game or series that they ever feel that they're out of. That comes with experience. They have a core group the likes of Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point, Alex Killorn and others that, whenever they haven't had success, they've transitioned out and figured out ways to change that and have success.
"Obviously, they work at their game there, but a lot of their success comes from between the ears."
Schenn's comments underscore one of the major storylines ahead of Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, BSSUN).
On the one hand, Tampa Bay is accustomed to and has embraced the mental grind of the playoffs, as evidenced by its three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances.
On the other hand, Toronto has had at times fragile confidence in the postseason. Since 2018, the Maple Leafs are 0-9 in games when they have a chance to close out a series, including 0-4 in Game 7s. They also lost a series-deciding Game 5 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the qualifying round of the 2020 playoffs.
However, Toronto is hoping the additions of players like Schenn and forward Ryan O'Reilly, who won the Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, can help it overcome that hurdle and win a series for the first time since 2004.
Along with being a player who brings much-needed sandpaper to the blue line, Schenn's role as scout of the Lightning, who eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round last season, might prove to be invaluable.
As such, he was asked what his scouting report of his former team would be.
"Obviously, Vasilevskiy's one of the best goalies in the world," Schenn said. "You've got one of the top defensemen in [Hedman], and then high power up front with [Stamkos], [Kucherov], [Point]. And then you have guys who play really good roles. [Killorn] has been there for a long time, and (Brandon) Hagel has done a good job, and (Anthony) Cirelli, the list goes on and on.
"They're just deep, right? They don't have any weaknesses. And obviously they're a group that knows what it takes."
Especially with Jon Cooper as their coach, a man who always seems to find the right buttons to push with his players.
"He always says the right thing at the right time," Schenn said. "He's not a screamer or a yeller, but he's very good with his words. He's a motivator and makes pretty good adjustments, obviously, whether it be in a series or a specific game, and he's got a pretty good feel and vibe about what's going on around the room.
"Obviously, the type of success he's had was not by accident. He's had a great run there. And pretty much everything he says is well thought out."
After Schenn won his second Cup with Tampa Bay, he signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks, where he played the past two seasons before being traded to the Maple Leafs for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on Feb. 28. In 15 regular-season games with Toronto, he scored one goal and had 13 penalty minutes.
One of those games also came against the Lightning, a 4-3 win for the Maple Leafs on April 11. And late in the first period of that game, Schenn dropped the gloves with forward Pat Maroon.
"Once the puck drops, they're opponents, not my pals," he said.
Selected by Toronto with the No. 5 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, Schenn has 191 points (42 goals, 149 assists) in 933 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Canucks and Lightning. He also has six points (three goals, three assists) in 31 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Following his first four NHL seasons, Schenn was traded by the Maple Leafs to the Flyers for forward James van Riemsdyk on June 23, 2012. He said those 11 years away from Toronto has helped him embrace everything that goes along with being a player in this hockey-crazed city, especially now that he has the opportunity to experience what it's like to play in the postseason here.
"In a weird way, it's probably good that the [Flyers trade] happened early, because I have a much better appreciation of what it means to be here now," he said. "You know, you're kind of young and naive when you first come into the League, and right now, it obviously means that much more.
"I don't take anything for granted in this league, and looking back at everything that has kind of happened throughout the course of my career, it seems like everything's happened for a reason. There's been moments where it's been really tough and you grind your way through it, not really sure how you'll do it.
"Either way, like I said, looking back, everything happens for a reason. And to be where I am right now, I'm very grateful."
