There are lots of rumours flying around the NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa right now, specifically about the Sedin twins. New general manager Mike Gillis said he is trying to re-sign the twins to long-term contract extensions and that he is not actively trying to trade them.
“People have called me about them,” Gillis told The Globe and Mail's Eric Duhatschek. “We are not actively trying to trade the Sedins in any form. A lot of teams have been calling, but we're hoping to sign them long term and keep them in Vancouver.”
That said, if Vancouver cannot re-sign the Sedins shortly after July 1, they could very easily be traded. In fact, if Gillis senses it will be difficult to sign them this summer, they could me moved as soon as this weekend at the draft. Remember, the day he took the Canucks' job his assessment of the twins was this: “I think they are front-line players, but I don't know if they are players the team will be built around.”
The word around Ottawa is that the Sedins are in play for the right offer. So is Vancouver's 10th overall pick, should it net a top-six forward.
There is also some scuttlebutt that several teams are trying to move up in the draft, either to secure one of the top defencemen or one of the few forwards rated in the top 10. But Gillis indicated he liked where the Canucks are set to select and doesn't want to pay the price to improve the pick.
“I think our guys have identified players who we think will be available there,” he said. “Our guys are confident [there] are good players and [they] will become even better players, so I don't see a need to move up… It'd have to be something extraordinary for us to move up.”
