He spent the All-Star break at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas with his older brother, Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn, and about 25 other NHLers. The trip served as both a vacation and a chance to clear his mind.
Now, Schenn has his sights set on one thing: moving forward. That's what makes the questions so hard to answer.
"I get asked that question a lot," Schenn said. "I just want to put the first half out of my mind. I just want to think about the positive things. For me, that's having a strong second half and helping the team win."
On the ice, Schenn's confidence is apparent. Peter Laviolette pointed to Schenn's monster game against Boston on Jan. 22 - with 25 shifts, two shots, two attempts blocked, a fight, and none of his six hits bigger than the one that nearly knocked Bruins defenseman Stephen Kampfer back a week in time - as Schenn's coming-out party.
He's followed that up with goals in his last two games to go along with six shots.
"He's been involved offensively," Laviolette said. "When players miss training camp, it's tough to jump back into the season. I think it's even more difficult doing what he's trying to do, which is miss substantial amounts of time, and as you get further along, the games get harder and harder to play. Space gets harder to find.
"I do think he's finding his way a little bit. He's contributing, which is a real positive for us."
In last summer's trade with Los Angeles for Mike Richards, Wayne Simmonds was supposed to be the wild card. Schenn, a No. 5 overall pick by the Kings in '09, was the can't-miss prospect.
He has only four goals and two assists in 21 games, but he's only begun to scratch the surface. Along the way, he's gotten invaluable help from roommate Claude Giroux - who has already learned how to temper expectations in Philadelphia and produce.
