can fight for it this year. Thats where we want to be.Sure, there is a lot of hockey left to be played. Perhaps Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen and the rest of that young crew will make

It was a little more than three years ago -- on Nov. 1, 2013 -- that?Daniel Sedin?and Henrik Sedin signed matching four-year contract extensions with the?Vancouver Canucks.They did so with a clear, shared thought in mind: that by the time those contracts expired and the twins were 37 years old, they would have helped the next generation of core Canucks players take over and could each enjoy their last few years in supporting roles.That certainly remains the plan, although I would argue the clock is ticking on said plan.Thats what were hoping for, its what weve said all along, Henrik, the teams captain, told ESPN.com on Friday. No one would be happier if someone came in and we were second-liners when this ended. That would be great, because that would mean we were a very competitive team. Were not going to give it to them. Were going to fight the best we can to be the leading guys [because] its where we want to be and we feel like we still have it in us.The two players remain the faces of the Canucks franchise in their 16th season, not just with their consistent play on the ice but with their charitable and classy ways off it. It makes you wonder how the twilight years are going to look for them if this retooling-on-the-fly doesnt pan out.Two years ago, it looked promising. We made it to the playoffs and felt we were [going] in the right direction, Henrik said. And then last year, there were different circumstances, we had injuries, that was unfortunate. This year, I think were a deeper team. I think we can compete -- which is a different feeling from last year. But we want to see this team moving in the right direction, and I think it is. In saying that, we need young guys to step up, we need them to play a bigger role and to take over. Thats what were looking for.The Canucks carry an eight-game winless streak (0-7-1) into Brooklyn against the?New York Islanders?on Monday night after losing 6-3 to the?Toronto Maple Leafs?over the weekend.Canucks fans on social media are screaming for the team to go for a massive rebuild.Vancouver GM Jim Benning and team president Trevor Linden still believe the current plan can work, of course. The team has gotten younger over the last few years. But fans are restless.I asked both Sedins where a significant rebuilding effort -- which isnt in the cards right now -- would leave them and whether they think about things like that given how things are going.The answer from both Sedins, as you might expect: They dont think about something like that.We got a game tomorrow, thats how I think about it, Daniel said. We love Vancouver, we want to get to a point where this team can be successful again and we want to be part of that. But ... its not entirely up to us. Were really respectful of Jim and Trevor and what they want to do. But were going to our best to be a big help to this team and help get it back to where the Canucks belong, where we were 6-7 years ago.Added Henrik: I dont want to think about that now. Were in a dogfight now. We know this team can fight for it this year. Thats where we want to be.Sure, there is a lot of hockey left to be played. Perhaps Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen and the rest of that young crew will make believers out of the Canucks faithful by the end of the season. Regardless, what the twins just cant fathom is ever being elsewhere.Vancouvers our team, Henrik said. Its where we want to play. Its where we want to live. Its where we want to win. We cant see ourselves playing for a different team. We want to help this team get to a place where it can get something going.But, moving forward, its not only up to us, if teams want to do something, they can force you out. But were going to do our best to stay competitive and thats our only thought process.I know what youre thinking, that the theres no way the twins would say it publicly if they truly thought this team was headed in the wrong direction. But I sensed a genuine sincerity in their words Friday when they talked about believing in where this team was headed.It made me think about the 2007-08 season, when their Swedish countryman Mats Sundin was honestly surprised -- and, I suspect