Vancouver Canucks winger Radim Vrbata says the secret of being a quality linemate for the Sedin twins is knowing when to stay out of their way.
"Sometimes they like to do their own stuff," Vrbata said. "You don't want to get involved because on their cycles they like to be left alone. They can take on three guys themselves and you just need to get open somewhere else."
That strategy has served Vrbata well enough that he is well on his way to registering his best season since 2011-12 when he scored 35 goals. He has 18 goals in 43 games, earning him an All-Star trip when Henrik and Daniel Sedin didn't make it.
Vrbata, 33, is the top goal scorer of last season's free agent class, and he is in the conversation with the Nashville Predators' Mike Ribeiro and the Winnipeg Jets' Mathieu Perreault for the unofficial title of best forward free agent signing of 2014.
Needing more offense, the Canucks gave Vrbata $10 million over two seasons. The big question was how well he would play outside of Arizona. His free agent signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008 didn't work out and he was traded the following season back to the Coyotes, where he thrived again.
Any concern has turned out to be misplaced because he is ahead of last season's pace in both goals and points.
"This season is going even better than I thought," Vrbata said. "When I was in Phoenix, Marty Hanzal and I played against (the Sedins) a lot. When you have to defend them, it's not much fun. It's a lot more fun to be on the other side of things."
The search for a proper winger for the Sedins has always been a work in progress. Alex Burrows has been successful there at times, but Vrbata's scoring knack has seemed a better fit.
"Some of the plays they make have to be sixth sense," Vrbata said.
He points out that linemates often develop good chemistry after a couple of seasons together, but the Sedins have been together their whole life.
"For a half season, I've seen them in certain situations on the ice where you would think a play would be impossible to make and they make it happen," Vrbata said. "It has to be something bigger than regular chemistry."
Vrbata isn't sure exactly why he has worked as the Sedins' linemate, while others have failed.
"Chemistry is a weird thing," he said. "It's just there or not. ... I just try to get lost and get open somewhere and if you do that, they will get the puck to you and you will have a scoring chance.
During his career, Vrbata said he had always heard the Sedins were almost too good to be true as teammates.
"They are great guys, even better than I thought or what I heard. They are humble people," he said. "When you go with a new team, you never know how it will go, but they have been helpful from day one."
Once Vrbata had signed, the Sedins reached out to him to welcome him to the team.
"Maybe it doesn't seem like a big thing, but when you are with a new team, it's nice that they picked me up for the first couple of practices and took me around the city," he said. "Introducing you to staff. Little things, but it makes a huge difference."
When named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career, Vrbata said he was the beneficiary of the Sedins' wizardy.
"They could have easily been (named) instead of me," he said. "I don't think it was my game. They deserve a lot of credit."
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