Forget that recent benching, Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn is headed to the top unit. Seriously. Only two days after Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol made Schenn a healthy scratch, suggesting his game wasn't up to snuff, Schenn arrived at Philly's practice on Monday and found a green jersey, the color reserved for the top line, hanging in his stall.
If you're perplexed by the move, you're not alone. Schenn told Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he wasn't sure what to make of Hakstol's recent capitulations either.
"It's hard to figure out sometimes," Schenn said after practice, per Breen. "I didn't talk to [coach Dave Hakstol], I don't know what the rhyme or reason is. But at the same time, I'll be ready for my opportunity, my chance tomorrow."
As for Hakstol, he said that Schenn's promotion was simply a function of numbers - with Ryan White out after suffering an injury and Michael Raffl dropped to the fourth-line to keep the "personality" of that unit the same, an opening had been created next to captain Claude Giroux and star power forward Jakub Voracek.
There's also the struggles of the top unit to consider - the Flyers are currently tied for last in the league with just 32 goals on the season. Giroux (five goals, six assists) and Voracek (one goal, six assists) are a big reason for this.
Schenn, tied for the team lead in goals with five thus far this season, was shown to his seat on the bench late last week thanks in large part to failings in his game outside the offensive zone. Hakstol told Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly that he just wanted to give Schenn the night off, but also allowed that "things haven't gone great over the last couple of games" for the 24-year-old former first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings. In his last eight games, Schenn has just one goal and one assist.
Whether Schenn can recapture an all-around form that better suits Hakstol's taste, remains to be seen. But he'll get the opportunity to showcase himself for the Flyers - and perhaps the entire league - alongside Philly's two best players on Tuesday, ironically, against the team that drafted him.
