Could Toronto Get a Taste of Sweden Again?

No sorry, its not the return of Mats Sundin to Toronto. How about two twins from Vancouver?

If Henrik and Daniel Sedin don't renew their contracts at the end of the season and become free agents in the summer, it could be a reality.

Sure, it seems every time a big name free agent is on the market they almost always seem to be rumored to be going to Toronto. Sometimes they have good reasons behind that and sometimes its simply fans hopes and wishes.

This time around there is good reason to believe that this could happen. That reason comes with Toronto GM Brian Burke.

Burke first drafted the twins in 1999 after trading with teams to have both the 2nd and 3rd overall pick. He took Daniel and Henrik one after the other and this was one his moves that made him highly sought after.

Burke moved on from Vancouver to Anaheim after the lockout, and when things seemed to finish up in Anaheim near the end of 2008 he came to Toronto. Now with the twins seemingly headed to free agency, he has a chance to bring them to his team again and build a winner.

They're not overly skilled forwards but they are able to put up the points, both have managed to get 60+ points each of the past three seasons. They both appear to play a different kind of game from one another as well. Henrik is more a playmaker and Daniel is a goal scorer, both compliment each other nicely, and would be solid additions to Toronto's top line.

Its more a matter of what they deserve financially, Vancouver has negotiated around the $5-5.5 million mark but they may seek upwards of $6 or $7 million. With the cap surely to go down soon enough, teams are now realizing they can't overpay players or have long term deals. $6 million seems fair for both, but it will be interesting to see what happens come July 1st.

Another possibility for Toronto is Mattius Ohlund, who is set to become a free agent as well July 1 and could seek similar money. Burke and Nonis were said to be big on him and Burke may try to sign him to a deal as well.

What may stop them from coming may not only be money, they may not view Toronto as a contender. Although if given the right amount they could be persuaded easily.

Even if they don't come to Toronto but leave Vancouver, the Canucks could be in trouble. Guys like Luongo aren't going to want to stay around much longer if they can't keep their core intact.

One thing we can count on is Burke will be active this summer, he has roughly $17 million to shape his hockey club. He's not one to talk about his plans until he does them, but still, its getting exciting.