Brayden Schenn on Impending Roster Decision

We're clearly getting down to crunch time.

Earlier we looked at Prop 13 (Keep Clifford or send him back to juniors?). Now let's get into Prop 10, the Brayden Schenn question.

Coach Terry Murray isn't expected to announce his full line-up for tomorrow's game against Tampa Bay until the morning. It may or may not include Schenn on the fourth line. As previously noted, the Kings need to make a decision on Clifford (Barrie Colts / OHL) and Schenn (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL) quickly because the all important ninth game for each is coming up. To date, Schenn has already played eight games and Clifford seven.

Once they take the ice for a 10th game, the first year of their entry-level contracts will be activated. If either player isn't going to significantly contribute this season, the team may want to hold off on burning a year of inexpensive talent. In the salary cap era, those contracts can prove valuable down the road - both in being able to plug in a player with a small contract and in prolonging a player's arbitration / restricted free agency period.

Here are some comments from Schenn about the situation...

MM: Any thoughts with the big decision looming?

Kyle Clifford on the Impending Roster Decision

For Kings GM Dean Lombardi and Coach Terry Murray 'decision day' wasn't Tuesday.

For now, they remain undecided on Propositions 10 and 13.

Something should be announced soon though, as they're going to have to vote one way or the other on Kyle Clifford (Barrie Colts / OHL) and Brayden Schenn (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL). Neither player can be assigned to the AHL due to their age. So, at this point, it's either back to junior hockey or keep them with the big club.

To date, Clifford has played seven games, one fewer than Schenn. Once they take the ice for a 10th game, the first year of their entry-level contracts will have been used. That's a tough pill to swallow in the salary cap era. Unless a young player can contribute in a big way, most teams would prefer not to use up that first year so early on in a player's career.

While on the surface, yesterday's roster move assigning Andrei Loktionov to Manchester (AHL) may have seemed like good news for the two younger players mentioned above, not so fast. That was just something designed to make room for the returning Scott Parse. Because Loktionov is eligible to go back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL, if Schenn or Clifford are returned to juniors, he could possibly be recalled. Regardless, that's something down the road a bit. First things first.

Let's check in with Clifford and see where his head is at as the impending decision on his future draws nearer...

MM:  We're down to just a couple of games left.  Are you getting nervous about what the decision may be?

Future Fridays - Interview with Justin Sefton

Labor Day is upon us. Along with a three day weekend and the end of summer, it also signifies the return of hockey.  Junior teams throughout Canada - and a few northwest U.S. cities - began opening their training camps over the last few days.

As the Sudbury Wolves took to the ice for the first time yesterday, many eyes were on defenseman Justin Sefton. The fifth overall selection from the 2009 OHL Draft is one of the top prospects for next summer's NHL Draft.

For the past few years he says he's kept himself away from "going to parties and hanging out in bad places. It was the rink, home, homework, working out, eating well - all the little things it takes to reach my dream."

Before joining the Wolves, he had moved away from his Thunder Bay home to attend Notre Dame prep school, located in a small town outside of Regina. The highly regarded institution - with an alumni of players such as Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Rod Brind’Amour - had been carefully chosen after exhausting research.

Like most young players, he consults with his parents on such major decisions.  However, he doesn't hide the fact that his agent plays a major role as well.  And why shouldn't he, he's represented by Kyle Dubas of Uptown Sports - a firm with a client list featuring some of the best young talent in hockey - including Kings prospects Jonathan Bernier, Kyle Clifford and Andrew Campbell.