Flyers’ Brayden Schenn on brother’s benching: ‘It’s brutal’

Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol discusses his transition from NCAA hockey to the NHL, how Jakub Voracek is the full package on and off the ice, and whether Brayden Schenn is finally ready to break out.

With two straight wins and a pair of goals through the first four games of the season, Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn has plenty of reasons to be happy with his start to the 2015-16 campaign.

Schenn is looking to deliver on the heaps or promise levied upon himself when he was drafted fifth overall in 2009. He’s helped form a relatively effective line with Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds early, but with his older brother Luke relegated to press box duty for the Flyers’ last two contests, the younger Schenn is hardly all smiles.

“It’s brutal,” Brayden Schenn told NJ.com of his brother’s benching. “It’s no fun for me going to the rink and it’s no fun for him. When you play on the same team as your brother, you want to be in the lineup with him each night.”

The elder Schenn played in the Flyers first two games before finding himself a healthy scratch in wins over the Florida Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks last week. He’s expected to be out of head coach Dave Hakstol’s lineup once again when the Flyers host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

“He’s doing everything he can to stay ready for when his chance comes again,” said Brayden. “He works hard. Whenever his opportunity comes, I know he’ll make the most of it.”

Hakstol has leaned on defencemen Brandon Manning, Radko Gudas and KHL import Evgeny Medvedev over Schenn.

The 25-year-old Schenn effectively played his way out of the lineup in a 7-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 10, when he registered a minus-3 rating. For what it’s worth, the 6-foot-2, 229 lb defenceman’s five-on-five possession totals are a little more friendly, albeit in a minuscule sample size.

Brayden Schenn is the Flyers leading scorer with three points in four games. The 24-year-old is looking to improve upon his 18-goal, 47-point performance from 2014-15. He’d like to see his older brother slot into the lineup, but understands the club’s position.

“It does suck, but at the same time you realize hockey’s a business,” Brayden Schenn said.

Luke Schenn has no points with four penalty minutes, one shot on goal, and a minus-2 plus/minus rating in two games this season.

Via NJ.com

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.