Jets acquire Luke Schenn from Penguins for draft picks

Mar 7, 2025, 13:15 EST

Jets acquire Luke Schenn from Penguins for draft picks

Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets added veteran defenseman Luke Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday as they load up for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In exchange for the 35-year-old blueliner, the Jets sent the Penguins a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth-round pick in 2027.

Schenn never got a chance to play for the Penguins, only acquired on Thursday in a trade from the Nashville Predators, where he netted a goal and five points in 61 games this season.

Pittsburgh also added center Tommy Novak in the deal while sending left-winger Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Predators.

A 6-foot-2 blueliner, Schenn is in the second season of a three-year, $8.25 million deal, with an AAV of $2.75 million. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2025-26.

Initially drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, Schenn is in the 17th season of a journeyman NHL career, playing for the Predators, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of his extremely short stint with the Penguins.

Through 1,057 regular-season games, Schenn has 44 goals and 159 assists for 203 points, while also playing 47 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

He’s also had a significant international career, suiting up for Team Canada four times at the IIHF World Championship, taking home a silver medal in 2009.

Also on Friday, the Jets added left winger Brandon Tanev from the Seattle Kraken, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

Through 63 games this season, the Jets sit atop the NHL standings on 90 points, while holding a six-point lead for first place in the Central Division, ahead of the Dallas Stars on 84 points.

Winnipeg takes on the New Jersey Devils on Friday night in the third game of a four-game Eastern Conference road trip before returning to the Manitoba capital on Feb. 11 against the New York Rangers.