For the first time since the 2005-06 season, the Sedin twins won't finish first and second on the Canucks in scoring.
Bo Horvat leads the squad with 51 points, while Henrik Sedin sits right behind him with 50 and Daniel clocks in with 43. Though the Sedins likely have no issue passing the torch to a youngster like Horvat, their own production is something with which they can't live.
"There's no doubt in my mind we'll put up better numbers next year," Henrik told Jeff Paterson of TSN 1040. "We'll have to prove a lot of people wrong."
That they will.
If the Sedins fail to pick up a point in Vancouver's final game, their combined point total will sit at 93, which would be their lowest since the 2002-03 (excluding 2012-13's lockout-shortened season).
Age won't favor the twins, as they turn 37 on Sept. 26. Their own decline is a major reason for their regression, but the club hasn't been able to find a stable linemate for them this season.
The Loui Eriksson experiment failed miserably. Head coach Willie Desjardins tried putting veteran Jannik Hansen on their right wing before he was dealt to San Jose. He has also fiddled with youngsters like Markus Granlund, Michael Chaput, and Nikolay Goldobin in that role. Nothing has worked. Maybe Anson Carter would come out of retirement?
The Sedins will be unrestricted free agents following the 2017-18 season, so if they fail to bounce back next season, it wouldn't be surprising if they called it quits.
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