Sedin Twins Demanding 12 Year $63 Million Contract; Each! More NHL Rumors!

In the rumor department there are rumblings coming out of Vancouver.  First up, a Senators forward Dany Heatley has included the Canucks on his wish list of teams to be traded to.  But it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a team wanting to absorb Heatley’s contract which has five years left at 7 million a year.

To make matters worse for the Canucks, their two stars, twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin who both are free agents as of July 1st dropped a bomb on the team today and are demanding matching 12 year 63 million dollar contracts.  That’s what it will take to keep the twins in the Pacific Northwest.  If the Canucks decide to keep the twins then there is no way that they will be able to acquire Heatley.  The numbers just don’t work.

Another rumor has the New York Islanders taking a pass on forward John Tavares and Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman in favor of two way center Matt Duchene.  Duchene has been climbing draft boards while teams have been picking apart Tavares’s game.  Duchene now is portrayed as the “most complete” player in the NHL amateur draft.  He has the speed to excel in head coach Scott Gordon’s system, as well as the playmaking ability.  He figures to be a top penalty killer, and he’s a leader in the locker room.

There is talk that the NHL will expand its winter classic games from one to two games.  Canadian teams are upset that the last 2 years classics did not feature any Canadian teams so this next year in a quest to pacify the canadian market there will be a second game played which will include two Canadian teams.  I for one think that this is a great idea, the NHL needs the Canadian teams to be a profitable to ensure success.  Give them an outdoor game and their fans will continue to support their squads, if you don’t you run the risk of losing part of your fanbase, something the NHL is unwilling to do right now considering the economy and how fickle sports fans can be.