Whether management wants to admit it or not, the Vancouver Canucks are in need of a rebuild. They have missed the playoffs in three of the past four years, their two best players -- Henrik and Daniel Sedin -- are one year older and entering their final year of their contracts, and the short-term prospects for the upcoming season seem less than optimistic.
Because of those points it’s natural to wonder about the future of the Sedins and whether or not the team might try to trade them, if the twins might be willing to move on, and if such a move would ever get completed.
In a Player’s Tribune article published on Monday Henrik and Daniel did their part to make it very clear where they intend to be and where they intend to finish their careers -- Vancouver.
Some excerpts, first from Daniel.
Later in the piece Henrik echoed a similar sentiment.
Makes it seem pretty clear what their intentions are should any of those discussions with management ever come up.
You can read the entire piece at the Player’s Tribune.
The Sedins have spent their entire careers playing in Vancouver ever since former general manager Brian Burke orchestrated a series of trades to secure the No. 2 and 3 overall picks in the 1999 NHL draft. During their careers they have been two of the best players in the league and one of the most dominant duos the league has ever seen. They have yet to get that Stanley Cup for Vancouver but did help lead the team to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals and back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies, while each of them has won a league scoring title.
The unfortunate reality for them when it comes to the Stanley Cup dream, however, is that they may have in fact missed that window to win it. The team on the ice around them just isn’t particularly strong. They were second worst team in the league this past season and only made marginal changes to the roster. It is still a team that is probably several years away from being a serious Stanley Cup contender again.