His one assist came on a really nice play, but that was the only thing he did all camp. Not that surprised.

Man, pretty much everything that guy touched just turned to lead…

A little surprising given that he had the A on his sweater a couple nights ago. It’s too bad it didn’t work out for Bell this year, I was actually cheering for him, but he should never have been here in the first place. Bringing him in last year was a HUGE mistake that really hurt dressing room chemistry.

I believe Wilson and Fletcher did the right thing this year by giving Bell every opportunity to make the team, but if he just doesn’t have what they need, then cut him loose or send him down.

OTOH, did ya notice we’re keeping Schenn to start the season?
I’m thinking it’s a 9 game audition while Kubina/Finger are injured, but I’m glad I can finally see him play!

Even if Schenn is the best defenseman in the league, send him down. He isn’t going to take the Leafs to the playoffs by himself, so why use a year of his 6 before free agency on a lost season. Save that year to be spent hopefully on a better squad.

Up yours losers, I’ve got tickets for the Leafs visiting the Rangers.

I’ll see Schenn in person, hahahahahahaha

Since it’s been confirmed Schenn will get his 10 games in the NHL at least, I see two main things that Luke Schenn has yet to show:

1. The Physical play – His “Human Eraser” nickname was much about his bonecrushing hits and physicality as a junior player, as it was for his solid positional play. Maybe Schenn is afraid of being caught out of position, but the physical element of his game has been pretty dormant. I do see him coming out of his shell as he gets more comfortable, but the hesitation still lingers.

2. Offensive game – We got glimpses of his offensive potential (good heavy shot, shootout goal), but at this stage of his development, it’s still relatively untapped. One of the hopes of Schenn going back down to Kelowna was not only continue to develop his leadership skills, but to develop and hone those offensive talents. We all know what Schenn can do on the defensive side. But it’s his power play potential that needs to be harnassed to exceed those Adam Foote comparisons. With Kaberle, Kubina, Van Ryn, Colaiacovo, Stralman, and White all competing for power play time, while Schenn being asked primarily to be a stay at home D so far, I would much rather Schenn play in all situations down in the WHL if he isn’t getting prime minutes up in Toronto.

In my mind, Schenn more than deserves to get his 10 game trial, regardless of any injuries on the blueline for the Leafs. And who knows, maybe Schenn is saving himself for the start of the regular season to bring out the “pain (VIA)train”. But I just don’t see Schenn focusing and practicing on developing his offensive game in the NHL right now, especially when the Leafs have so many bodies vying for playing time at the backend.

I believe I predicted Bell’s demise yesterday on the Bubble Boy post. For those who think the Leafs blew it again, remember he was only on the Leafs as part of a salary dump. The Sharks insisted on Bell being part of the Toksala package. JFJ tried to save face by suggesting that he wanted Bell. Dumping that salary is just another step in correcting past mistakes.