Declaring your team's most important player is not a simple thing. It's not always the most valuable guy or the highest points producer. It is the player who makes your team go; the one you can't afford to lose, even if all he contributes can't be measured by fancy stats.

Canucks' Most Important Player: Henrik Sedin, forward

Part of the mandate of the Most Important Player is that it is just that, the single most important player. Not a handful of important players, or brothers who are important, which would certainly apply to Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin and his goal-scoring twin brother, Daniel. Nope, just one.

So we settled on Henrik, which is a testament to the superlative consistency of the Vancouver captain and former Art Ross and Hart Trophy winner, and to the shocking lack of anyone else (outside Daniel Sedin) on the roster who might be worthy of real consideration.

The Sedins and linemate Radim Vrbata combined for 69 of the team’s 262 goals last season, and accounted for the only two 20-goal scorers on the team (Daniel Sedin and Vrbata). While Daniel has long been the triggerman of the dynamic brother combination -- he has out-scored Henrik 327 to 211 during their NHL careers -- it is Henrik who brings the picture into focus with tremendous vision and ability to create scoring chances off the cycle.

It is why Henrik has been the team’s captain since 2010 and was the de facto captain during the Roberto Luongo reign before that. Win or lose, Henrik Sedin is there to answer the bell. We recall the incredible grace with which both Sedins handled themselves over the years in the face of often misguided criticism or simple mean-spiritedness. This was especially during the team’s emotional run to the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, where they lost in seven games to the Boston Bruins.

Most people are predicting a dropoff for a Canucks team that finished in second place in the Pacific Division last season, but was dispatched in the first round by the upstart Calgary Flames. Those predictions stem from the previously-mentioned gap between the top-end talent and everyone else in Vancouver (with all due respect to newly-acquired second-line center Brandon Sutter).

If the Canucks are to remain in the playoff mix it’s going to fall to Henrik Sedin, and his brother, to lead the way. It is a tall order for the durable center, who will turn 35 shortly before the start of the coming season, but history has shown us that tall orders are something Henrik can handle.