Canucks fans have known for a long time that this day was coming: the day when the Sedin twins would no longer be the Canucks’ first line. The Sedins received the torch from Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison when the remaining members of the West Coast Express transitioned into a second line role after the lockout. At some point, they’ll need to pass that torch on, hopefully with .
But when will the Sedins become the second line? There are some who would argue that the headline to this article asks the wrong question or that it isn’t a question at all: the Sedins are already second line players.
There’s a strong case to be made that they’re right.
The Sedins have just 26 and 23 points, respectively, and are on pace for 50 and 44 points, their lowest totals in a non-lockout season since 2003-04. Henrik is tied for 72nd in points among NHL forwards; Daniel is tied for 104th. Now they’re being excoriated for not being creative enough on the power play. Two of the most creative players in NHL history have now become too predictable.
Meanwhile, younger players appear to be taking over. Bo Horvat leads the Canucks in goals and points and is tied for 50th in points among NHL forwards. Sven Baertschi is tied for second in goalscoring on the Canucks and is first in efficiency, leading the team in 5-on-5 points per 60 minutes of ice time.
In fact, Baertschi is 19th in the NHL in points per 60 minutes, right behind Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Mark Scheifele, and Nino Niederreiter.
From all that, you would think that Horvat and Baertschi are already supplanting the Sedins as the first line. But they’re certainly . Horvat is fifth among Canucks’ forwards in average ice time, and third among centres behind Brandon Sutter and Henrik. Baertschi is eighth.
There’s a clear reason why this question is being asked now: Horvat and Baertschi are on a hot streak, while the Sedins are struggling. Henrik has gone four games without a point and has just four points in his last ten games. Daniel is in an even worse slump, with no goals in his last 11 games and just one point in his last ten games.
Meanwhile, Horvat and Baertschi both have 13 points in their last 14 games.
The truth is, we knew going into this season that the Sedins were on the decline. There’s a reason that the Canucks’ biggest signing in free agency was a winger with a proven history of success with the Sedins. That’s what it’s been so frustrating to see Loui Eriksson used so little with them. Even now, when he’s back on the top line, he’s still not playing with the Sedins on the power play, which is utterly nonsensical.
You could argue that the Sedins have never had worse linemates than they’ve had for stretches this season. Brandon Sutter simply and badly dragged the Sedins down at 5-on-5 (and arguably on the power play as well, though that’s a topic for another time).
Meanwhile, putting Jayson Megna with the Sedins made some sort of sense with Jannik Hansen out of the lineup, as Megna has the speed the Sedin’s seem to need, but that experiment should have ended much more quickly.
With Megna, the Sedins posted an appalling 39.3 corsi percentage in 73:15 of 5-on-5 ice time. But you don’t need those numbers to understand how poor a fit it was: you just needed to watch the game.
Meanwhie, the Sedins have played nearly 157 minutes with Sutter at 5-on-5, posting a 45.4 corsi percentage. They’ve been out-scored 10-5 when on the ice together at 5-on-5.
By comparison, Horvat, Baertschi, and Alex Burrows have played just short of 269 minutes together at 5-on-5, have a solid 52.2 corsi percentage and have outscored their opponents 15-9. If you’re comparing the BoBaeBurr line to the Sedins with Sutter or Megna, it’s immediately apparent which one should be the first line.
But when the Sedins play with Loui Eriksson, it’s night and day. They’ve posted a stellar 57.6 corsi percentage in 186:38 at 5-on-5. Though they’ve only outscored their opponents 7-5 in that time, their dominant puck possession together should lead to more scoring over time.
The Sedins are certainly in a slump, and it’s a concerning one, but if Willie Desjardins stubbornly sticks with their line combination with Loui Eriksson like he’s so stubbornly stuck with other combinations, they’ll start to put up points at 5-on-5.
The ascension of Horvat and Baertschi and declension of the Sedins is a little premature. Slumps and hot streaks tend to be temporary; it’s too soon to say that Horvat and Baertschi will be point-per-game players for the rest of the season and too soon to suggest the Sedins won’t bounce back.
Should Horvat and Baertschi be given more ice time? Good lord, yes. I’m not sure how that could possibly be in question at this point. But are they first line forwards ahead of the Sedins? Not just yet.
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*All statistics via NHL.com and the SuperWOWY tool on Puckalytics.com
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