The Vancouver Canucks announced defenseman Luke Schenn won't play in Tuesday's contest against the Nashville Predators as the March 3 trade deadline looms.
Vancouver is sitting him to protect his value as a trade asset, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Schenn carries a cap hit of $850,000.
Schenn missed Vancouver's clash against the New York Islanders on Feb. 9 due to an upper-body injury but returned the following game versus the Detroit Red Wings.
The 33-year-old has three goals and 18 assists in 55 contests this season while averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time.
Schenn captured back-to-back Stanley Cup championships as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
He isn't the first defenseman to be scratched for trade-related reasons this season. Arizona Coyotes star Jakob Chychrun hasn't played since Feb. 10, while Columbus Blue Jackets rearguard Vladislav Gavrikov hasn't suited up since Feb. 11.
Heading into Tuesday's showdown, the Canucks sit sixth in the Pacific Division with a record of 22-30-4. They're 17 points outside of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
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