Garth

McLennan
sports editor

 

  

  

 

 

ith the Vancouver Canucks eliminated

from playoff contention and just two teams

remaining in the hunt for the Stanley Cup,
talk will very quickly heat up regarding the future of
the two hottest prospective free agents this summer,
Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

The Sedins are about to find themselves in what
could turn out to be a very profitable situation. They
are the cream of a not-so-stellar unrestricted free agent
crop this summer, and that will only drive their price
higher as teams look to show their fans some form of
improvement during the off-season.

As for how the 28-year-old Swedes figure into
Vancouver’s plans in years to come, it goes without
saying that Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis would love to
resign both, but the twins are looking at significant
upgrades on the identical $3.583 million they earned
this past season. However, if the price tag zooms to
expected levels of $6 million or higher, Vancouver
could very quickly find themselves no longer in the
running.

With the future of the salary cap up in the air due
to the flailing economy, it would be a gamble for any
club to dole out high-money, long-term contracts to
anybody. The fact that both Henrik and Daniel have
said that they are only interested in playing on the
same team in years to come may actually work in
Vancouver’s favour, as that will mean they will most
likely take a discount with whomever they sign with.

Despite the recession and the promise of most
teams to cut back and watch where the dollars go,

you can be sure
that a tanking

ee ae
| team will have
@ no reservations

18

 

about overpaying

for what little is
on the market in order to appease their fans. That is
only magnified when there are so few quality players
beyond the Twins, Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, Scott
Niedermayer and Jay Bouwmeester up for grabs.

To a team with severe offensive deficiencies, the
Sedins would be the perfect tonic. Both smack in the
middle of their prime, they could be a lightning-fast
way to build a first line and to vault almost any team
into immediate playoff contention. Both are sublime
passers and smooth skaters with excellent point totals
that have steadily improved year after year. This past
season, both players posted terrific seasons of 82
points.

When you consider salary cap issues, the only
teams with a real shot at landing both of the Sedins are
Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Atlanta and the New
York Islanders. After the Vancouver, Toronto seems
like the most likely destination for the twins. The team

is headed by former Canuck GM Brian Burke, the man

who made several blockbuster deals on draft day to
draft both Daniel and Henrik second and third overall,
respectively, back in 1999.

Since leaving Vancouver, Burke has repeatedly
gone out and acquired his favourite players from his
tenure here. With a ton of cap space and a rabid fan
base that hasn’t seen a Stanley Cup since Lester B.
Pearson was prime minister and the Vietnam War was
in full swing, Burke will have to make a splashy foray
into free agency, especially if he fails to land the first
overall draft pick like he promised.

Montreal is another possibility, but they should be
considered a long shot. With the Tampa Bay Lightning
auctioning off superstar Vincent Lecavalier to the
highest bidder in a desperate cost-cutting move, the

Canadians are considered to be the front runners in
those sweepstakes. With Lecavalier’s $11 million
salary about to kick in, that doesn’t leave much room
for the Sedins.

Atlanta is another possibility, but don’t expect
it. The Thrashers are still trying hard to extend the
contract of franchise cornerstone Ilya Kovulchuk, and
have said they are willing to pay any price to keep
him. On top of that, Atlanta has been terrible for years,
and the Sedins would be highly reluctant to ship out to
a team that is going to need at least another five years
to become competitive.

While the Islanders are much in the same boat
as the Thrashers in terms of team records, they have
no superstar that needs tending to and they also
find themselves as the winners of the John Tavares
lottery at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Tavares is
expected to be a generational talent in the Sidney
Crosby-Alexander Ovechkin mould and with talented
goaltender Rick DiPietro locked up until kingdom
come, the Islanders actually have a solid blueprint in
place. That is, if they don’t screw it up... again.

Don’t assume that Vancouver is going to lose the
Sedins. Both of the twins have frequently professed
their love for the city and its fans, and also, Vancouver
is the only NHL city the Sedins have ever known.
They have both laid down roots and are raising young
families here, so uprooting for a few extra dollars
might not happen.