Vancouver Canucks: Why they need to cut ties with Sedins

With just a handful of games remaining in the season, there is much speculation amongst the fans and mainstream media as to whether the Sedins will return for another season. It is the humble opinion that bringing them back can only serve to cause more harm than good.

As the prospects of picking first overall decrease with every meaningless win, the Vancouver Canucks organization find themselves at a major crossroad.

What do they do with the Sedin twins moving forward?

Now, I don’t need to explain to you about how important these players have been to the franchise, in fact simply googling their names will lead to many well deserved accolades  on the Sedin legacy, and it is all true. .

But the common thread between most of these “will they or won’t they” return articles is that they have been written from the perspective of the Sedins, suggesting it should be their choice to return to the Canucks or not.

No matter what they have done over the course of their careers, it should not be up to them to determine whether they return next season. No doubt, they can choose to not return but that should be about as far as their input goes.

Mind you, I have been a big Sedin fan my whole life, but what is the point in having a general manager, president, and an entire hockey operations department if they let players start choosing whether or not they are on the team?

Decisions need to be made based on “what is best for the team”, not “we owe it to the Sedins” or for that matter fan sentiment.. Hockey is and always should be a “what have you done for me lately” sport, however mercenary that may sound. Signing the Sedins would fly in the face of that logic.

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Sure, over the last three seasons they have averaged 103 points between them per season, which shows they can still produce like high end second liners.

Having said that, is the goal to keep the Sedins 103 points, or to make the playoffs?

The Canucks desperately need to keep up with the other teams in the league, who are proving time and time again that skill coupled with speed is the future of the sport.

There is no question that the Sedins have skill, but the pace they play the game at is simply not conducive to a winning brand of hockey.

Besides putting up points, the Sedins main role is to provide direction and guidance to the young Canucks. Players like Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and Jake Virtanen have certainly benefited from their presence. They are superb role models, and the youngsters on the team  look up to them when it comes to acting like a professional on and off the ice.

But just like an overprotective parent, too much supervision can be suffocating. As long as the Sedins are on the roster, it is their team. They will be the go to guys in the room and on the ice. That CHEMISTRY cannot change as long as they are in the room.

It is time for a new order.

Horvat has spent four years under their tutelage and now it his time to be the de facto leader. If the Sedins keep holding the pupils hands, they are never going to learn how to walk by themselves.

Another issue with keeping the Sedins is it provides little roster flexibility. They take away two valuable roster spots that could be given to prospects. With the Canucks drafting well the past few years (and not to mention who the Canucks might draft this year), there might be a few prospects ready for NHL work.

The Sedins also hamper head coach Travis Green from experimenting with different line combinations and power play units. The Sedins can really only be on the same line, and playing a rookie with them can make that line a defensive liability. In turn, the priority of finding four balanced lines changes too “who can play best with the Sedins”.

That’s why the Canucks signed Loui Eriksson and Sam Gagner, both of which don’t look so good right now and will have long term consequences.

The focus of the team should not be finding the right partner for the Sedins, but to find pieces that will compliment the likes of Horvat and Boeser.

The Canucks and the twins have had a great partnership for the last 17 seasons. These players have given every ounce of their being to this city, something which should they be revered for, for the rest of their lives.

But in the sports world, you either retire a hero, or play long enough to see yourself become the problem.

The Sedins are such passionate people that they genuinely feel that they can help the Canucks out of obscurity, but right now they are a part of the problem. The last thing I would like to see is their sterling reputation be muddied by poor season after poor season.

Next: Canucks will be luckier, better next season

In order to be kind, the Canucks need to be cruel. It’s time to let go of the twins, for their own good, but more importantly for the good of the team.