Blues' Schenn believes O'Reilly, Acciari are what Leafs need for playoff run

Schenn was a teammate of O’Reilly for parts of five seasons in St. Louis, winning a Stanley Cup together in 2019. O’Reilly became a Selke and Conn Smythe winner the same year. 

O’Reilly was named captain of the Blues in 2020 and remained in that leadership role until he was traded, along with Acciari, to the Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, and five draft picks in a three-way deal with the Blues and Minnesota Wild.

Schenn joined TSN 1050 to lay out what Maple Leaf fans can expect from his former teammates for the stretch run and the playoffs on Thursday.

“He’s a guy who will be on the ice before practice and long after practice just working on his game,” Schenn said of O’Reilly. “He’s one of those guys who pulls guys in to work with him and encourages them to get better.”

Schenn said he was one of the players who put in extra work with O’Reilly in St. Louis and believes that his attitude will be a great addition for a team looking to make their mark in the postseason.

“I was one of those guys who was dragged into [his] hockey school after practice where he works on your game,” gushed Schenn. “He’s such a pro, good leader, awesome team guy, and Toronto is lucky to have him.”

O’Reilly’s 2022-23 season was a struggle in St. Louis. The veteran centre registered only 12 goals and 19 points in 40 games and missed 14 games due to a broken foot.

The 32-year-old has responded well to his new environment well, tallying three goals and five points in three games, including a hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

“People [have been] saying that this year hasn’t been great for him, but if you look at his stat line, he still has 15 goals in 43 games,” said Schenn. “I’m happy for him. I tried to text him about the hat trick, and he didn’t get back to me, but maybe he’s just happy to get away from that Schenn guy on his line and get to play with [John] Tavares and [Mitch] Marner."

The other key aspect of the deal is Acciari, who brings a unique skill set to Toronto’s bottom six. Nicknamed “Cookie” for his love of the snack, Schenn believes he is the type of player a team needs if they expect to make a run for the Stanley Cup.

“If you watch this guy play, he’s like a bowling ball or a human wrecking ball,” explained Schenn. “He can play anywhere in the lineup, at either centre or the wing, and be physical enough to grind teams down in the playoffs. O’Reilly will get a lot of the focus in Toronto, but Acciari is the kind of guy you need in the playoffs.”

Schenn believes that his Blues have a good core and hopes that general manager Doug Armstrong can parlay the assets his team is receiving in a down year into help for next season and beyond, similar to the path the Blues took en route to the Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

Schenn hopes to see O'Reilly back with Blues

With both O’Reilly and Acciari set to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, Schenn went as far as publicly hoping his former captain will re-sign with the Blues during an intermission interview with reporter Andy Strickland during Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

“That’s wishful thinking for him coming back since he and his wife love it here,” explained Schenn. “I think he’s going to love it in Toronto. [There are differences] with St. Louis being a little bit more quiet while Toronto might be a little more hectic.

“There’s going to be a lot of teams after him and with him still being only 32 years old, he still has a lot of games left in him. Whatever happens for him, the guys in St. Louis definitely hope it’ll be here, but that’s going to be a decision for him, his family, and his [agency] for whatever direction they want to go."

The approaching trade deadline hasn’t only affected Schenn within his own organization. His brother, Luke, is on the trade block for the Vancouver Canucks.

The veteran defenceman has three goals and 21 points in 55 games with the Canucks this season and has been held out of the line up since Feb. 18 for trade related reasons.

“Hopefully they get something done for him soon where he can be put into a good situation,” said Schenn about his brother. “He’s grinded hard over the last few years to put himself in a situation where he’s a wanted commodity and be a guy that’s physical and bring a different element to the game. 

“He’s better now than he was four year and hopefully he gets put into a good situation [so he can bring] the Schenn family home another Stanley Cup.”