Daniel and Henrik Sedin made it amply clear heading into the season that they wouldn’t think about signing new contracts with the Canucks until after the current season is over.
Hoping to forestall any talk of their future, it worked for the first three-and-a-half months, until it surfaced late in January because Jim Benning wanted to get a firmer grasp of their plans. Now it’s one of the big storylines surrounding the Canucks, to the point that Don Cherry felt the need to opine on the twins, suggesting that “they have to go” because they’re blocking young players from playing.
Jeff Paterson had a strong counterpoint on Twitter, simply pointing out that young player are already playing far more than the twins, which has been the case all season.
Granlund 20:38, Boeser 18: 56, Horvat 18:08 on Saturday night vs top team in league https://t.co/CiJDfrHZoW
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) February 5, 2018
The bigger question is who will replace them in the lineup? At centre, Henrik Sedin isn’t taking a spot from a younger player this season; if he were to get injured, who would get called up? Most likely Michael Chaput, not a young prospect aching for a chance.
You could make a stronger case for Daniel Sedin, as maybe Reid Boucher or Nikolay Goldobin would get called up if he were injured, but Boucher is a longshot to be a long-timer NHLer at this point and Goldobin has had his chances this season.
In any case, there’s a strong argument to be made that the Sedins are not blocking any young players from being called up or, if they are, they’re not the only ones. When Sam Gagner and Thomas Vanek were signed this past off-season, one of the concerns was that they might block younger players from getting in the lineup. Then there’s Loui Eriksson and Brandon Sutter, both signed to long-term deals.
So what about next season?
Will the Sedins block any young players next season? Elias Pettersson and Adam Gaudette will be in the mix at centre, while Jonathan Dahlen will surely make a push to make the team on the wing. But if there’s one thing Travis Green and the Canucks have made clear, it’s that no young player will be guaranteed a spot in the lineup.
Let’s be honest: if the Sedins are not here next year, the Canucks will look to replace them in free agency. As much as fans might look at the situation and think that Pettersson and Dahlen will immediately step into the lineup in their place, the Canucks are unlikely to risk an entire season on two rookies being ready to jump directly from Sweden to the NHL.
So here’s one key reason why the Canucks should re-sign the Sedins: they’ll likely re-sign for one year.
The Canucks were fortunate to be able to sign Vanek for one year, benefiting from his play on the ice and veteran experience in the room, while not tying themselves down long-term. Getting a top-six forward to sign for one year in free agency is a rarity.
What happens far more often in free agency is that players look to cash in, and with 30 other teams in the NHL looking for more scoring, a bidding war erupts. The currency in that bidding war isn’t always money, but is often time.
The Canucks can’t afford to saddle themselves with long-term contracts for veterans as they continue to rebuild. They can’t afford another Loui Eriksson deal or even another Sam Gagner deal. Those are the contracts that lead to veterans blocking youth in the lineup, not just for one year, but for multiple years.
The Sedins, on the other hand, might be more willing to take things one year at a time as their careers come to a close.
In addition, their class and character ensure they won’t try to steal the limelight from younger players. They’ve shown this season that they’re willing to play a more limited role, skating fourth-line minutes at 5-on-5 while contributing on the power play. They’ve been excellent mentors to the Canucks’ younger players with their work habits and professionalism.
The Sedins are exactly the types of veteran leaders you want influencing the next generation, particularly with two Swedish rookies, Pettersson and Dahlen, coming to North America next season.
If the Sedins want to be here next year, they’ll be here.
