Change of scenery should help Brayden Schenn's game

Brayden Schenn could become the second-line centerman the Blues have been desperately searching for. And if not, at least they aren't paying Lehtera $4.7 million to be outscored by Scottie Upshall and Kyle Brodziak. Schenn brings versatility to the Blues with his ability to play left wing and center.

Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports
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Two common concerns of Brayden are his subpar faceoff percentage and his deflated even strength stats.  Brayden’s faceoff percentage last year as a full time center was 47%.  Schenn’s outstanding power-play stats hid his poor even strength scoring. Last season, Schenn had 28 power-play points,which was more than half his season total.

Brayden’s career took-off after being traded to the Flyers in 2012, and he quickly became a permanent part of their powerplay.  In the last three seasons, he had 34 power-play assists and 35 power-play goals. Schenn should bring an immediate boost to the Blues’ power-play—the Blues’ Achilles heel of last year’s playoffs.

Schenn’s change of scenery could bode well for his stats. Last season, the Flyers' offense was ranked 21st in the league while the Blues' were 12th. Acquiring Schenn should add more firepower to the Blues’ strong offense.

Although Schenn slightly regressed in points this past season, (59 points in 2016, 55 points in 2017) I see him being a consistent 60 point producer for the Blues on a line with Robby Fabbri and Alex Steen.

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Peter Hempstead
@petehempstead