Canucks sign Sedin twins to 5-year deals

Daniel and Henrik Sedin have agreed to five-year contract extensions with the Vancouver Canucks less than an hour before the start of free agency.

The Canucks gave the twins matching $30.5 million deals, keeping them with the team that drafted them second and third overall in 1999.

The Sedins have led the Canucks in scoring for the last three seasons, averaging close to a point a game over that time, including 82 points each last season.

The deal comes after a full year of negotiations, but wasn't finalized until after Canucks general manager Mike Gillis flew to the Sedins' native Sweden early this week. The team had been reluctant to move off five-year offers worth $5.5 million a season, while the 28-year-old Sedins had proposed a pair of 12-year, $63-million contracts.

Playing together for all but a few games with the Canucks, the Sedins have a combined 288 goals in 1,288 NHL games. Like the twins themselves, their statistics are tough to tell apart: Henrik has 460 points in 646 games, and Daniel 462 points in 642 games.

Daniel is the goal scorer of the pair, averaging more than 30 over the past three seasons, while Henrik has been among the league leaders in assists.

"Daniel and Henrik Sedin are this club's offensive leaders and players we want to build around," Gillis said in a statement. "Their level of performance in every area of the game is exceptional — both Daniel and Henrik are committed to winning and we want them to succeed."