The Vancouver Canucks have officially added two legends to their front office.
On Tuesday afternoon, the team announced that Henrik and Daniel Sedin will be joining the Hockey Operations department, serving as Special Advisors to General Manager Jim Benning, as well as to Assistant General Managers John Weisbrod and Chris Gear.
According to the team’s official press release, the Sedins will “learn and support all areas of the team’s hockey operations including player evaluation, development and communication from the amateur to NHL level”.
They will also be participating in amateur and pro scout meetings, acting as consultants during free agency, entry drafts and trade deadlines, and working with the AHL coaching staff and management in Abbotsford, which includes former teammate and current general manager Ryan Johnson.
The rumours of the Sedins joining the organization first broke at the end of the Canucks’ season, but many expected the twins to be meticulous when it came to returning to the league, making sure that all of their duties were properly explained and outlined before signing their new deals.
With the speculation of changes within the Vancouver Canucks, I’m told Canucks ownership is involved in ongoing discussions with Henrik and Daniel Sedin about potential roles within the organization.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 18, 2021
Just over one month later, and it appears that both of them are eager to get the job started.
“When we retired, we always thought we’d like to be involved in the business side of hockey one day,” said Daniel. “There’s a lot to learn, but we are excited and ready for the opportunity. This team has some of the best young players in the NHL and we want to do everything we can to support the group and achieve our goals.”
This isn’t the first time that former players have taken on roles like these, with the intention of being groomed for larger responsibilities down the road. Joe Sakic’s first position with the Colorado Avalanche was executive advisor and alternate governor at the end of the 2010-11 season. He was promoted to Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations two years later, and now serves as their General Manager.
Steve Yzerman held the role of Vice President and alternate governor for the Detroit Red Wings from 2006 to 2010, before becoming the Vice President and General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2010 to 2019, while Chris Drury has transitioned from the Director of Player Development to President and General Manager of the New York Rangers in just over a six-year span.
Of course, the most recent example of this would be former-teammate Roberto Luongo.
In 2019, Luongo was hired as a Special Advisor to former-GM Dale Tallon, taking on a similar role to that of the Sedins in Florida. Two years later, Luongo was named the General Manager for Team Canada at the 2021 World Championship Tournament in Latvia, where he would eventually go on to win a gold medal.
There’s no doubt that the Sedins’ legacies will live on in Vancouver history, no matter how their roles pan out, but it’s important that the organization tries to avoid the same complicated situation that occurred with former-Canuck Trevor Linden, who was brought on as the President of Hockey Operations from 2014 to 2018. Linden had no experience in a managerial position prior to that, and ended up stepping down from the role after rumoured drama and miscommunications with Benning and ownership.
Fortunately, things already appear to be much more positive with the twins and how they’re going to contribute to the organization, and many people are optimistic that the Sedins can help turn this franchise around, particularly in the communications department.
Both Henrik and Daniel became very accustomed to speaking to the media throughout their time in Vancouver, particularly at the end of their careers when they held the roles of captain and alternate captain from 2010-2018, and would be a big improvement from how management and ownership currently conduct themselves behind the podium.
Even the players are on board with this decision.
Yessssss 🙌 https://t.co/vOGmooPw4y
— Bo Horvat (@BoHorvat) June 22, 2021
The Sedins played 17 seasons with the Canucks from 2000-2018, and, between the two of them, currently sit atop multiple categories in the record books. Henrik leads the ways in points (1070), assists (830) and games played (1330), whereas Daniel has tallied the most goals (393), powerplay goals (138) and game-winning goals (86) in franchise history.
Their jerseys were officially retired on February 12th, 2020, further eternalizing their status as two of the greatest Canucks to ever play.
The Sedins are also expected to formally address the media on Wednesday morning.
What are your thoughts on the Sedins’ new roles with the Canucks? Make sure to drop a comment below!