Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall didn't get anything accomplished Monday ahead of the 3 p.m. trade deadline, leaving many to wonder if the market wasn't there for players like Mark Streit and Nick Schultz, or if Hextall simply wasn't able to conjure the same magic that allowed him to dump Nicklas Grossmann and Chris Pronger's contract only a few short months after turning the soon-to-retire Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn into future draft assets.
But the lack of action from Hextall may matter little in the long run. The Flyers have 10 picks in the 2016 NHL Draft with which to add to their already ample pool of prospects, at the same time as they remain in position for a potential postseason run, depending on how the remainder of the 2015-16 season plays out. With Jakub Voracek on the shelf for the next couple of weeks, nabbing a wild card spot from the Penguins or Bruins won't be easy. But if they're able to do it, it may well be thanks in large part to the sudden and explosive growth of a one, Mr. Brayden Schenn.
The Flyers are now 4-1-1 in their last six games and winners of their last three, pulling themselves within three points of the Penguins after Monday night's shellacking of the Flames. In that game, the still just 24-year-old Schenn notched his first career hat trick, bringing his season totals to 21 goals and 42 points. Considering there are 22 games remaining in the current campaign for the Flyers, Schenn is on pace to shatter his previous career-high for points of 47.
There's never been any denying Schenn's raw talent. It's the reason he went No. 5 in 2009 and the reason former Flyers GM and current team president Paul Holmgren shipped Mike Richards to the Kings in exchange for Wayne Simmonds, a second-round pick and Schenn in June 2011.
But no matter what the Flyers tried, Schenn simply seemed unable to advance his development and show consistent growth to his game. Bringing his brother Luke onboard didn't help, and neither did any of his trials up and down the Philly lineup. Even first-year Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol seemed uncertain what buttons to push with Schenn, as he popped the physical forward in and out of the lineup earler this year.
Eventually though, sticking at wing and seeing time alongside the likes of captain Claude Giroux and the also-blossoming Sean Couturier, Schenn has begun to show signs of becoming an elite player. At 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, Schenn isn't the biggest forward out on the ice, but he brings a physical edge to his play that has been a good fit in Hakstol's up-tempo system.
Even more importantly, Schenn's compete has seemingly reached a more consistent level since Luke was shipped to the Kings earlier this season. And while he may always be something of a streaky scorer, Schenn has enough skill that missing games - whether literally or figuratively - shouldn't have too much effect on his overall output.
The trick here, as it always is, is Schenn's long-term fit with the team. He's a pending restricted free agent and it's usually a red flag when a guy seems to go all-in during a contract year. But Hakstol and Hextall have stuck with him and given Schenn the plethora of opportunities that they have precisely because they want him to succeed in Philadelphia.
Hextall made it a point, after announcing a new contract for Couturier, to tell reporters that Schenn's future with the team would be determined by his performance this season. Schenn has said that he'd like to remain in Philadelphia.
Will his breakout 2015-16 be enough to land a long-term deal? We won't know until the offseason in all likelihood, but if Schenn remains unsigned by the time the draft rolls around, that may tell us everything we need to know.
