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Sedin admits plan to contribute more defensively may have backfired

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Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin wanted to become more than the players that each won an Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorers.

They wanted to be trusted in all situations, not just offensive ones.

They wanted to contribute defensively, especially when they were having trouble scoring.

And John Tortorella was only too happy to oblige when he became Vancouver’s new coach.

Well, the plan -- noble as it may have been -- didn’t work. The Canucks are going to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008. And with their seasons almost done, each of the twins remains below the 50-point mark.

“We wanted to become more two-way players where you can rely on us playing in our end and being good for our D-men,” Henrik explained, per The Province. “We wanted it to be so everyone can trust us in our end.

“We may have had a tough time combining the two.”

Under Tortorella, the Sedins still started a large portion of their shifts in the offensive zone, and they only averaged around a minute per game on the penalty kill.

But during their scoring-title years under Alain Vigneault, they started a massively large portion of their shifts in the offensive zone, and they barely spent any time on the PK. It was forwards like Ryan Kesler and Manny Malhotra who were given the tough defensive responsibilities, and the Canucks enjoyed a great deal of success when they were deployed like that.

If Tortorella is fired, as many expect he will be shortly, expect player deployment to be a major question facing the new coach.

Related: If the Sedins get hurt blocking shots, ‘so be it,’ says Torts