Henrik Sedin hints at how long Canucks rebuild could take
When franchise legends snag the managerial keys to the organization, it doesn’t always end well. Just ask Steve Yzerman, or even ex-Vancouver Canucks president Trevor Linden.
That said, the start of the Henrik and Daniel Sedin era in Vancouver has been a gust of fresh mountain air in a stuffy, stale room.
We’re not even a year removed from another ex-Canucks president, Jim Rutherford, laying out his unrealistic timeline for a rebuild.
“I would like to think based on the number of young players that we have, that we’ve been able to pick up over the last few years, with high ceilings, that this rebuild can take two or three years, not six to 10,” Rutherford told Patrick Johnston of The Province back in January.
That was just a month removed from ex-Canucks GM Patrik Allvin saying that the Canucks were going to “retool it a little bit with a hybrid form.”
Thankfully, Henrik’s most recent comments weren’t quite as shortsighted.
The co-Canucks president recently chatted with Adam Johansson of Expressen.se, where he touched on several subjects, including the estimated length of a rebuild.
He was asked by Johansson about the length specifically, and whether he saw it being five or 10 years long.
“I don’t think 10 [years],” Henrik responded in the article translated from Swedish. “I think it will be closer than that, absolutely. We will drive hard in this role for the next few years. Then we will see what happens.
“It could change tomorrow; it could change depending on how things go. So it’s hard to put a number on it. But closer than 10 years, absolutely.”
Henrik and Daniel Sedin have brought new life to the Canucks fanbase. (Rob Williams/Daily Hive)
Unlike Rutherford and his brash honesty, Henrik does a commendable job of offering honesty without overpromising.
Reading between the lines, Henrik didn’t comment on the five-year suggestion, knowing that’s likely the case for Vancouver. But surely, in 10 years, the Canucks will be good.
Right?
Well, we have seen other rebuilds go sideways. Such was the case with the Detroit Red Wings or the Buffalo Sabres.
So, how can Vancouver avoid that?
“It’s about getting the foundation you build right when you draft,” Henrik said. “That [those prospects] come in and develop, and that you help them with everything they need: leadership, support on the ice, and getting that group to become a cornerstone of what we do.”
While the Canucks have brought in veterans to lead the youth, they’re still in the infancy of establishing their next core.
“Teams that win, in the last 10 to 15 years, have had a group of four to six players who are very tight and who push every day,” Henrik said.
“Then, you can build around them. It doesn’t matter which players you bring in around that group; they rise because this group that is already there is pushing incredibly hard in what they do.
“So, that’s what we want to find: a group of six, seven, eight players who push every day.”
The 2011 Canucks arguably had eight of those guys when they made their epic run, including the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis, Alex Edler, and Roberto Luongo.
Right now, we’re not sure if the Canucks even have one of those guys.
Of course, Zeev Buium and Caleb Malhotra are the blue-chip players in the organization and will certainly be pegged as future leaders of this Canucks core. Tom Willander and Braedan Cootes could potentially join them.
But, as Sedin alludes to, that’s why this Canucks rebuild will take time.
“There is no rush from anywhere, neither from us nor the owners,” Sedin said. “We have a clear plan: we want to start over and build anew. Bring in some younger players and build from there.”
“We also know that you can’t rebuild for as many years as you want. There has to be development. But in these first few years, we will at least start from scratch. Then we’ll see what happens.”