Closing the deal on swedish twins = increased scoring

The Sedins have signed with the Canucks on a 5-year deal for $6.1 million apiece, leaving this guy extremely pumped.

Winner: Mike Gillis and his iron balls. Despite pressure from fans and media about the possibility of losing his two top scoring players, Gillis refused to budge from his offer of a 5 year deal, rumored to be worth about $5.6 million a year. When all looked lost, Gillis hopped on a plane to Sweden and told the Sedins what was up, offering a million bucks more (combined) then he originally offered. The Sedins are now practically signed on Gillis' terms, meaning that they fit into whatever plan this godsent genius has in store for Canucks fans.

Loser: JP Barry. Whatever tipped the balance and led the Sedins to sign this morning, it sure wasn't JP Barry, their agent. A couple weeks ago, it leaked that he was asking for identical 12-year, $63 million deals, which would keep the cap hit low, but keep the Sedins in blue and green until they were 40. When the Canucks refused to budge from a 5-year counteroffer, Barry seemed intent on letting the Sedins skip the hometown discount and find more money elsewhere. On an agent's salary, his original proposal would have netted him a cool $12-15 million in fees, but under Gillis' plan? About $6 million. No small potatoes, even for a couple of successful bloggers like ourselves, but being undermined by your clients and losing $6-9 million bucks on a deal can't be easy. Now, if he could just get Sundin to make up his mind..