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Vanek would re-sign with Canucks if Sedins also stay

Gerry Thomas / National Hockey League / Getty

Thomas Vanek says he would be willing to return for another season with the Vancouver Canucks, but that desire comes with a rather significant caveat.

The impending unrestricted free-agent forward told Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre that he'd take another one-year deal to play with Henrik and Daniel Sedin, but the twins won't tell him if they're going to re-sign.

Earlier this month, Canucks general manager Jim Benning told MacIntyre that the twins still hadn't made a decision about their future after meeting with the club's brass and that all sides agreed to wait until season's end to revisit the situation.

The 37-year-old Swedish forwards are also set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason, and while Benning's revelation suggests they'll likely remain with Vancouver through Monday's trade deadline, their linemate may not.

Vanek, who turned 34 last month, is once again a potential deadline target for opposing teams, with 16 goals and 40 points in 60 games for the retooling Canucks.

If he is traded before Monday at 3 p.m. ET, he'd still have the opportunity to reunite with Vancouver as a free agent in the summer if the Canucks were interested in bringing him back at that point.

Vanek signed a one-year contract with a $2-million cap hit back in September.

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