Should the Sedins just go to the Olympics?

“But if you compare the Stanley Cup to the Olympics, I’ll take the Stanley Cup by far for sure. It’s a tougher tournament to win. You have to go through a hundred games to win it. Here, hot goalie, good power play, that’s all it takes. It’s different.”

Daniel Sedin said those words to the Globe and Mail's Eric Duhatschek in 2014 during the winter Olympics in Sochi. It was easy to say then. Sedin had already won Olympic gold with Team Sweden in 2006, and the crush of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final had clearly not faded.

Back in 2014, the Stanley Cup might have still looked like a realistic possibility to Sedin and his twin brother Henrik. Yes, the team was in the midst of a tough season, but the Canucks had won the previous five Northwest Division titles. It was hard to call the team completely out of the race.

This season, it's not hard. The Canucks won't make the playoffs this year (and probably not next year or the year after either, depending on how quickly the younger players on the roster develop), and there's little point to having accomplished veterans playing out the rest of their careers on the squad.

In fact, if we're going to be blunt, there's a fairly good chance the Sedins are done winning anything in their career at this point, aside from maybe a World Championship or maybe a World Cup of Hockey, but even that seems less than likely with Team Canada's recent run of international dominance.

So, why don't the Sedins just go to the Olympics?

They would automatically make Team Sweden a threat with no other NHLers playing in the tournament. It's not as if the Canucks necessarily need them this year to accomplish their goals—a high draft pick should be the mission this year—and the twins would get to try to bring home another gold medal for their country. Henrik even missed the 2014 games due to injury.

No, we don't know what the penalty will be for teams with players that decide to go, and that's likely where the NHL will choose to divvy up the punishment, on the teams. Because a league maximum fine of $10,000 for a first-time offender won't be enough to deter players like Washington's Alex Ovechkin, who has said that he will go to the Games even if the NHL doesn't. In fact, the owner of Ovechkin's team, Ted Leonsis, has publicly stated that he has no problem with Ovechkin going.

Of course, his tone could change pretty quickly if Ovechkin (and Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby) decide to take off for two weeks during the heat of the playoff run.

That's why the NHL's best move is to fine the teams with something more than money, something like a draft pick. This way the player isn't just hurting his wallet by leaving. He'd be hurting his team and his teammates.

Is the league prepared to do that? It seems a bit rash and Gary Bettman and co. really don't have much goodwill with fans to spend. That's why, depending on the punishment — really, a first rounder would be ridiculous and almost anything else is worth giving up for what the twins have given the team and the city — Francesco Aquilini and Trevor Linden should just let the Sedins go.

Heck, they should come up with the idea and force the Sedins to go.

The Canucks could bill the time the Sedins are away as a chance to showcase their younger players, and bring up Brock Boeser and Jonathan Dahlen, if they're not already with the squad.

Is there a chance other players will then ask to go? Sure. Let them. Let Loui Eriksson and Alexander Edler play for Sweden as well. Let Sven Baertschi rep Switzerland. Let Thatcher Demko have some time in the crease if Anders Nilsson or Jacob Markstrom are asked to wear the Tre Konor.

It's going to be hard for the league to levy a quick, fair punishment on the teams of players who bail for South Korea. It's going to be even harder to do it if other players follow Ovechkin's path and insist on going.

And, If other teams have a mass exodus of players, that will hurt the Canucks chances of getting into a meaningful draft lottery position.

The Sedins are far too noble to go. And that's exactly why the Canucks must send them. No one wants to see them leave Vancouver for a shot at the Cup, so do what's right and give them something to play for in the twilight of their careers.

Follow Nathan Caddell on Twitter @ncaddell.