Who is this guy?

Position: C

Shoots: Left

Height: 6 feet 2 inches

Weight: 188 lbs ( soaking wet)



Born: September 26, 1980 in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden (age 34)



What'd he do?

Henrik played top line center between his brother Daniel and a rotating third person in Radim Vrbata, Alex Burrows, Jannik Hansen and Zack Kassian.

So was he any good?

Yes.

What'd we like?

Last season under John Tortorella, Henrik scored 11 goals and 50 points in 70 games (.71 points per game). He averaged 20:40 of ice time under Torts, who used the Twins in all scenarios, including on the PK. This season, new coach Willie Desjardins used Henrik and Daniel less, as Hank only averaged 18:21 per game. Less PK time. Willie wanted to roll 4 lines more and that he did. Less ice time was not a bad thing. Hank scored 18 goals and 73 points in 82 games which was a much-improved 0.89 points per game. Those 73 points ranked him about 13th in the NHL with the likes of Claude Giroux, Nick Foligno and Vladimir Tarasenko. Not bad for a guy keeps getting the age thing thrown at him.

I like how Hank played all 82 games in the season again. He missed time last season with a lower body injury (and reported hand and rib injuries) and that was the only time he missed NHL hockey since 2003 because he was an iron man! He played 679 straight games, which is the 6th-highest iron man streak in NHL history! Yes, you are very impressed by that. I find that feat phenomenal.

That 18 goal total is his highest since 2010-11. I have said it before: it's like on may occasions this past season the Sedins switched heads. I think I cursed a lot less for Hank to shoot the puck this past season. Nobody hates a pass-off when you are in prime scoring area with no defender in front of you. That doesn't mean there weren't times, or moments. Henrik does not shoot a lot compared to his teammates, nor will he ever.

Henrik's 17.8% shooting percentage was his highest total since 2002. His career average is 13.3% so, much praise to Hank for burying more of his chances. Kinda hard not to sometimes when you have a wizard named Vrbata on your line:

Or the whole 'Sedins switched heads thang' going on:

-Hank's 5 power play goals was the second most of his career.

-Hank's 4 points in 6 games against the Flames is fine by me.

-Remember how we used to call Hank Captain Hook? Or we talked about Token Swedish Penalties:

Two for hooking! Well! No longer! Hank only had 22 penalty minutes this season, the lowest total of his NHL career! I don't think anybody has even mentioned that yet. Well done, Hank! Way to keep your stick down.

-How about the pass that gave Hank his 700th career assist? Check this out:

-I love how Henrik sets up his office behind the opposing team's net. It's very Gretzky-esque in its appearance. Gives me flashbacks of the great one. Not that I'm saying Hank is as good as Gretzky but you have to admit that Hank does have a lot of similarities to the Great One, especially the one-ice vision / anticipation and what-not.

-The Sedins are now earning $7 million per season until the end of the 2017/18 season. This was negotiated under the Mike Gillis regime. The Sedins left a lot of money on the table for Gillis in their prime years so MG could spend money elsewhere to build a contender. I was hating on this contract after last season, but Hank really put up some good numbers this past season. I'll save my anger for another year.

Cool. So what did we hate?

What the hell is going on in the faceoff dot, Hank? His 45% faceoff winning percentage ranked him 4th on the team amongst Canucks centers who regularly took faceoffs. So basically he was the worst at faceoffs. In 2013/14 he won 52.3% of his draws. He won 49% of his draws the year prior. A major dip there. No, faceoffs don't always matter. Sometimes they do though.

I honestly can't find much to dislike about Hank this season. He exceeded my expectations. The top line drove possession a lot in the opposing zone. It didn't always result in a goal and a lot of times they would control the puck in the opposition's zone only to eventually turn the puck over and generate nothing (and maybe even odd man rushes against). But that is how the Sedins have always been.

Do I want a gritty, murderous, talented player as captain? Yes I do. I Henrik that? No. But I can now appreciate the leadership that Henrik Sedin brings. It's different from what I want, but it's great nevertheless.

So what now?

Hank will turn 35 in September. Does he still have the ability to put up 70 points or more in a season? Absolutely. Hank is a creative genius. Sure, the signs of aging decline are there, but damn, Hank makes offence happen. Not the fastest skater but more than makes up for it with smarts and creativity. Hank and his bro will continue shattering almost all of the Canucks' individual historic records for the next few years and they will do it with the utmost class and grace and that's just how these guys roll.

From CBC:

Both brothers denied suggestions they might not be young enough to form the core of the team next year. "We are not young anymore, but we still showed we can play a big part with the team," said Daniel. But Henrik agreed with suggestions that younger talent from the Canucks farm team will play an important part of the team's future. "Bringing up the young guys — that's the way to go ... I'm fully confident we are going to have a chance to go all the way [in the next few years]" he said.

Zanstorm's Rating For Hank Sedin

Very close to an A-.