The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They play at the 18,630 capacity General Motors Place. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Canucks joined the league in 1970 as an expansion team along with the Buffalo Sabres. In its 38-year NHL history, the team has advanced twice to the Stanley Cup Finals but were defeated both times by New York teams: the Islanders in 1982, and the Rangers in 1994.

Vancouver has a rich hockey tradition. Professional hockey has been played in the city almost continuously since 1911. The city's first professional team, the Vancouver Millionaires, played for the Stanley Cup five times, winning the prized trophy in 1915. It was also home to one of the first artificial ice arenas in North America. After the Millionaires disbanded in 1924, Vancouver was a top minor league city for many years, most notably by the Vancouver Canucks, who played from 1945 to 1970 in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and Western Hockey League.

With the NHL's westward expansion, it was a foregone conclusion that big-league hockey would return to Vancouver. In fact, the city was so certain of success that it broke ground for a modern arena, the Pacific Coliseum, in 1967. However, when a Vancouver group led by WHL Canucks owner and former Vancouver mayor Fred Hume made a bid for one of the six teams due to join the league in 1967, it was so sloppily prepared that their application was turned down.

However, three years later, another Vancouver group made a much better presentation, and was awarded an expansion franchise for the price of six million dollars (four million dollars more than it would have cost in 1967). The new team assumed the Canucks name, and joined the league along with the Buffalo Sabres for the 1970-71 season.

First NHL Captain: Orland Kurtenbach
First NHL Game: October 9, 1970 vs. Los Angeles Kings
First NHL Victory: October 11, 1970; 5-3 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
First NHL Goal Scored: Barry Wilkins vs. Kings

In defiance of all geographic reality, the Canucks were placed in the powerful East Division for their first four seasons, and although they had a few capable players such as ex-Ranger center Orland Kurtenbach, defensemen Dale Tallon, Jocelyn Guevremont, and winger Dennis Ververgaert, the team failed to make the playoffs during these early years. Realignment in the 1975 season placed the Canucks in the new Smythe Division, and they responded with their first winning record, finishing first in the division. However, their first playoff series had them square off with the dynastic Montreal Canadians; the team was made short work of. They would have a winning season and make the playoffs the season following, but slip back into losing ways the next two seasons thereafter. During these years, star players included slick playmaker Andre Boudrias, who finished first in team scoring four out of the franchise's first five seasons (and finished second by a single point in the other), forward Don Lever, and Dennis Kearns, to this day the leading scoring defenseman in franchise history.

After the team's winning season in 1976, Vancouver would not have another winning team for another sixteen seasons. For most of that time, however, they were much more competitive than their record indicated; they only missed the playoffs six times.

After a dozen years of unremarkable play, the Canucks finally made an impact in the post-season of 1982. After finishing three games under .500 over the course of the regular season, Vancouver flew through the Campbell Conference playoffs, going 11-2 in games against the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, and Chicago Black Hawks. It should be noted that despite having a losing record, Vancouver had home ice advantage in the first series, having finished second in the Smythe division that season, behind only the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks also had home ice advantage during the second round series against the Los Angeles Kings, after the Kings' unbelievable upset of those same Oilers during the first round

The Campbell Conference champion Canucks became the Cinderella story of the 1982 playoffs as they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. In doing so, they became the first team from Western Canada to play for the Stanley Cup in 56 years. However, they were promptly swept in four games by the heavily favored defending champion New York Islanders, disappointingly losing the final game on home ice. That season would prove to be the last one in which Vancouver proved victorious in a playoff series until 1992.

After their improbable Stanley Cup run, the Canucks slipped back into mediocrity for the rest of the 1980s, making the playoffs only four times for the rest of the decade. For most of the second half of the 1980s, they had to fight the Los Angeles Kings for the final playoff spot in the Smythe Division. Whenever they did make the playoffs, they were promptly ousted by the dominant Edmonton Oilers (in 1986) or now-powerful Calgary Flames (in 1983, 1984 and 1989). Due to the way the playoffs were structured, the Canucks faced the certainty of having to get past either the Oilers, Flames, or both to get to the Conference Finals.

Notable players during the 1980s included diminutive, though long-serving captain, Stan Smyl, who retired the franchise leader in most scoring categories, Swedish imports Thomas Gradin and Patrik Sundstrom, penalty minute king Tiger Williams, who led the NHL in penalty minutes during two of his seasons with the Canucks, hard rock defenseman Harold Snepsts, one of the most popular players in franchise history, and high-scoring right winger Tony Tanti.

Following the acquisition of Pat Quinn as general manager in 1988, the Canucks rose to prominence in the early 1990s. This rise to power came roughly around the time the Oilers and Flames began to sink in the standings. Unlike the leagues other Canadian teams, the Canucks thrived in the new environment created by the rise in player salaries. Led by players such as new captain Trevor Linden, goalie Kirk McLean, and high-scoring sensation Pavel Bure (The Russian Rocket), the Canucks won two consecutive regular season division titles, in 1992 and 1993, though they would be eliminated by the Oilers and Kings during the playoffs, in that order.

In 1994 the Canucks made their second trip to the Finals, entering the playoffs as the seventh seed in the newly renamed Western Conference. The club had what could be characterized as an off-year during the regular season, but resumed their form during the playoffs. Drawing a first-round matchup with the rival Calgary Flames, the Canucks were victorious in an incredible seven-game series. After trailing the series three games to one, Geoff Courtnall and Trevor Linden won Games 5 and 6 for Vancouver in overtime. Again forcing overtime in Game 7, goaltender Kirk McLean made "The Save", a defining moment in team history, stacking pads on the goal line to stop a near-perfect setup by Theoren Fleury and Robert Reichel, saving the Canucks from elimination. Pavel Bure scored the series-winning goal on a breakaway in the second overtime. Following the massive upset, the Canucks went on to defeat both the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs in five games before meeting the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals. Vancouver achieved victory in Game 1 by a score of 3-2 in overtime, largely in part to a 52-save performance by goaltender McLean. After losing Games 2, 3, and 4, the Canucks won Games 5 and 6 to force a seventh game at Madison Square Garden. Despite a frenzied effort by team captain Linden, who scored two goals (one on a shorthanded breakaway), the Rangers would prevail with a score of 3-2, a loss made more disappointing due to Nathan LaFayette and Martin Gelinas hitting the Ranger goalpost in the dying minutes of the game. The loss was followed by a riot in downtown Vancouver by disappointed fans, many of whom had likely been drinking heavily. Following the riots, the Canucks held a rally at BC Place attended by 40,000 fans, who congratulated the team for their effort.

After the 1994 playoff run, Vancouver continued to be a force for the next two seasons. Expectations were high and the team would soon move into its new arena, General Motors Place. Head coach Quinn stepped down to focus on his duties as a general manager, and was replaced by assistant Rick Ley, who was later succeeded by Tom Renney. Russ Courtnall and Alexander Mogilny were acquired via trade from the Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres, respectively, in an effort to further improve offence; Russ was reunited with his brother Geoff, and Alexander was reunited with his former CSKA Moscow line mate, Pavel Bure. However, the team was swept in the second round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1995 and defeated in the first round by the Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche in 1996, a season in which Bure suffered a season-ending injury early on. During the 1996-97 season, Bure suffered another season-ending injury, and despite strong performances by players such as Martin Gelinas and Mogilny, the Canucks missed the playoffs.

In the 1997 off-season, the Canucks made a big splash and signed free agent Mark Messier to a lucrative three-year deal. Also during the off-season was a change upstairs; GM Pat Quinn was fired and replaced with a management committee. Renney was fired and Mike Keenan assumed coaching and general manager duties; when given the latter power, he split up the core of the 1994 team, even trading away fan-favorite and until then, career-Canuck, Trevor Linden to the New York Islanders; this trade would net the Canucks future impact player Todd Bertuzzi. Later on in the season, Brian Burke assumed the duty of general manager, after a stint as NHL vice-president.

Suffering their worst season of the decade in 1998-99, Keenan was fired midway through and replaced with Marc Crawford (who had won the Stanley Cup with the 1996 Colorado Avalanche). Pavel Bure, unhappy with playing in Vancouver, held out for the season, and was dealt to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal which landed the Canucks blue-chip defenseman Ed Jovanovski. The Canucks missed the post-season again, but the payoff for the dreadful season was the chance to draft future stars Daniel and Henrik Sedin second and third overall in the Entry Draft that year.

During the 1999-00 season, expectations were low for the Canucks. However, they surprised all by fighting for a playoff spot during the entire season, only dropping out of the hunt on the second to last game. Several players showed signs of the superstars they would become, notably, Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund. Alexander Mogilny was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Denis Pederson and future offensive stalwart, Brendan Morrison. At season's end, Messier would leave to return to the Rangers, and Naslund was selected to be the new captain of the team.

Under new general manager Burke and new coach Crawford, the Canucks had once again become a playoff contender. The team held their training camp in Stockholm in 2000, and participated against Swedish and Finnish teams in the NHL Challenge. These years were the heyday of the "West Coast Express" line, which consisted of high-scoring left-winger Markus Naslund, centre Brendan Morrison and power-forward right wing Todd Bertuzzi. The rebuilt Canucks team returned to the playoffs in 2001 (capturing the eighth and final position on the last day of the season), appearing in the playoffs for the first time since 1996. Being the eighth seed, the weaker Canucks drew the powerful, first-place Colorado Avalanche as opponents; the Avs dominated the Canucks in the absence of Naslund, who had suffered a broken leg during the season. The following season saw the return of exiled captain Trevor Linden, and another matchup with the top seed in the West, this time the Detroit Red Wings. This series was highlighted by a surprising 2-0 series lead taken by Vancouver, which was erased, following a weak goal allowed by netminder Dan Cloutier from centre ice on Niklas Lidstrom. Detroit would win four straight games en route to a Stanley Cup championship. 2003 saw personal highs in the Canucks organization; Naslund finished the season with 104 points, enough for second-highest in the league. Bertuzzi finished fifth with 97. In goal, Cloutier posted a franchise record 7 shootouts. Winning a playoff series for the first time in eight years against the St. Louis Blues, a 3-1 series lead against the upstart Minnesota Wild would crumble away as the Wild won three straight, completing their second upset of the playoffs. In 2004, Todd Bertuzzi would damage, some say irreparably, his reputation when he attacked Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche and was convicted of assault in a British Columbia court. His early exit from the season that year, and an injury to Dan Cloutier during the playoffs, resulted in Vancouver's first round loss to the Calgary Flames, who would go on to compete in the Stanley Cup Finals.

It was Brian Burke who coined the phrase "Goalie Graveyard", when referring to the Canucks' long-standing history of having troubles between the pipes. As it turned out, Vancouver became Burke's own graveyard. Before the lockout of 2004-05, Burke did not have his contract renewed by the Canucks and was replaced by Dave Nonis, who had been assistant general manager and Director of Hockey Operations. Burke was hired by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

The 2005-06 season began with much promise; some hockey analysts picked the Canucks as Stanley Cup favorites. Under new general manager Nonis, free agent activity in the summer prior to the 2005-06 season saw players such as Anson Carter and Richard Park arrive in Vancouver. However, the team failed to meet expectations and completed the regular season in a disappointing 9th place in their Conference — narrowly missing a playoff position to the Edmonton Oilers; this caused debate about the effect of the point awarded for an overtime or shootout loss, recently instituted by the NHL. The season was characterized by under-achieving play, most notably in the first line of Naslund, Bertuzzi, and Morrison, which was expected to produce higher point totals under the new league rules. Morrison had a career-high 84 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, his wingers, Bertuzzi and Naslund, had a combined -37 in Plus/Minus Rating. Vancouver's highest-scoring line was the second line of Carter and the Sedin twins.

On April 25, 2006, the Canucks fired Crawford; he was hired by the Los Angeles Kings. Alain Vigneault, who had just coached Vancouver's AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, to a 102-point season, was hired as his replacement on June 20, 2006. The re-building of the Canucks continued just three days after Vigneault's hiring, when Nonis completed a blockbuster trade with the Florida Panthers, trading Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alex Auld for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round draft pick (Sergei Shirokov) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Florida fan-favorite Luongo initially claimed to be "surprised" with being traded. He later signed a long-term 4-year, $27-million deal with the Canucks, which includes a no-trade clause after the first year, tying him the Chicago Blackhawks' Nikolai Khabibulin as the highest paid goaltender in the NHL and showing the Canucks' clear intention of making Luongo a franchise goalie. With the acquisition of Luongo, previous starting goaltender Dan Cloutier was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings on July 5, 2006.

On September 12, 2006, the Philadelphia Flyers offered restricted free agent Ryan Kesler a one-year, $1.9 million dollar contract, forcing the Canucks to either match the offer or lose his rights. Kesler, the Canucks' first-round draft pick in 2003, scored 10 goals and had 13 assists in 82 games for the Canucks in 2005-06. The offer was considered high for a young player with relatively low stats, and Bobby Clarke, the now ex-general manager of the Flyers, received criticism for the move. The offer was matched on September 14, 2006. The offer made by the Flyers was the first offer sheet extended to a restricted free agent in eight years, and the first following the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

On April 7, 2007, the Canucks won the Northwest Division title for the second time in three seasons with an overtime win over the San Jose Sharks. The win also gave goalie Roberto Luongo his 47th of the season, tying him for the previous single-season win record with Bernie Parent, which had been eclipsed during the same season by New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur.
The Canucks opened the 2007 playoffs with a quadruple-overtime win against their first-round opponents, the Dallas Stars. The game was the longest in club history and the sixth longest in league history. Also in this game, the Canucks set a record for shots against, allowing 76. In seven games, the Canucks prevailed despite a lack of goal-scoring; Stars goalie Marty Turco recorded three shutouts in the series, becoming the only goalie to earn three shutouts in a losing effort.

Advancing to the second round, the team was defeated by the Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks in five games.

Following the playoffs, coach Vigneault received the Jack Adams Award for his efforts in the Canucks' 49-win season.

The 2007-2008 season did not begin especially well, with key injuries beginning from training camp. Defensemen Sami Salo and Lukas Krajicek were both injured in October, while Kevin Bieksa was severely cut by the skate blade of Vernon Fiddler of the Nashville Predators on November 1st. Captain Markus Naslund, whose production had been declining in the years since the days of the West Coast Express, went on a hot streak in November, and the team as a whole did well that month, which was dubbed "A November to Remember." In fact, with a 9-2-2 record, the Canucks had compiled the best record in the league during the month of November.

December saw defenseman Aaron Miller record his first goal in nearly four years in a 5-0 shutout win against the New Jersey Devils as the Canucks went on a home winning streak. January and February did not turn out well for the injury-riddled team, which lost ironman Brendan Morrison to wrist surgery until March, as well as defensemen Mattias Ohlund and Willie Mitchell for some time to concussion and back problems, respectively.

The trade deadline saw only one change for the team, with agitating left-winger Matt Cooke being traded to the Washington Capitals for left-winger Matt Pettinger. During the nine-game divisional stretch to close the season, the Canucks were again without Ohlund, who had suffered bone chips in his knee; as well, they lost promising rookie forward Mason Raymond to an MCL sprain and Morrison, again, to an ACL tear.

Coming up short in these crucial games, the Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three years, coming up three points short. The final game of the season, played on home ice, saw the possibly-retiring Trevor Linden hailed as the first star of the game and given a standing ovation on a 7-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.

On April 14, 2008, the Canucks management fired general manager Dave Nonis. Nine days later, former player agent Mike Gillis was named as his replacement.

Inside Shots

It took him almost a month to decide, but new Canucks general manager Mike Gillis will retain head coach Alain Vigneault, giving the incumbent bench boss a vote of confidence—and a real chance to succeed—in the form of a one-year contract extension through 2009-10, ensuring he won’t be a lame-duck coach.
Despite his status as the reigning NHL Coach of the Year after guiding the Canucks to franchise records in wins (49) and points (105) two seasons ago, it was far from a slam dunk that Vigneault would be back after his team folded down the stretch and missed the playoffs by three points this season.
Gillis made it clear every aspect of the operation would be reviewed before moving forward, but after meeting for several hours a day over a two-week period, decided Vigneault was his man.
“This is a significant announcement for our hockey club,” said Gillis after the contract extension was announced May 22. “My first priority when taking over the job was to meet with Alain and ensure we shared the same philosophy about building an elite level team for now and for the future. Alain has done a very good job in his two years in Vancouver and I am confident that will continue.”
Vigneault, who lost the head coaching job in Montreal not long after being named a finalist for the Coach of the Year award, as clearly pleased to be staying, even though there were numerous reports he would have been a frontrunner for several other vacant coaching jobs in the NHL had the Canucks gone a different direction.
“Mike and I have had meaningful discussions about how we believe we can take the next step with this team to be as successful as we all hope to be,” Vigneault said. “This is a team I believe in and a city that I love living and working in.”
As for the speculation Vigneault would not return unless he was given an contract extension, the always-blunt coach said he never threatened to quit but admits he feels more comfortable knowing he has two years to turn the team around.
“Any coach in a market like Vancouver, going into his last year in a deal, it would make it challenging,” said Vigneault. “I feel a lot more comfortable with my situation right now being here more than one year.”
Vigneault joined Vancouver as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, for the 2005-06 season, and was named head coach of the Canucks on June 20, 2006 in place of the fired Marc Crawford. In two full seasons, Vigneault has coached the Canucks to a record of 88-59-17 and winning percentage of .589.
Season Highlight:   The Canucks beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on March 20, including a big goal from fan favorite Trevor Linden, and, with six wins in the eight games, moved six points clear of ninth-place Nashville and into a battle for first place in the Northwest Division. Despite losing 2-1 to the Wild the next night, the Canucks were confident because they dominated most of the game, outshooting Minnesota 31-21, and began open talk about the playoffs. Few would have guessed they’d win only one of their final eight games.
Turning Point:   The Canucks lost top defenders Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa to bloody injuries in a 3-0 loss to Nashville on Nov. 1. Despite losing Salo a month and Bieksa for four, they actually thrived through December, thanks in large part to a solid team approach to defense and some stellar goaltending by Roberto Luongo.
But the extra minutes on defense over-taxed the rest of the roster, and it eventually caught up to the team in the form of injuries to Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Aaron Miller, Lukas Krajicek and Salo (for a third time this season). The Canucks finished with 164 man-games lost on the blue line alone, the most on defense in the NHL and a bad sign for a team built from the goaltender out.

Notes & Quotes

• Strangely, coach Alain Vigneault said style of play was never a focus of his almost-daily conversations with new GM Mike Gillis, despite questions about whether he could coach the more up-tempo offensive style the latter desires. Perhaps Gillis agreed the lack of offense (the Canucks were 23rd with just 207 goals this season) really was a matter of personnel and not the defense-first system, which Vigneault is quick to point out is almost identical to the system Pittsburgh has used to get to the Stanley Cup finals (Vigneault taught it to Michel Therrien in Montreal.)
“Our style of play we’ve tried to implement since I’ve been here is pretty similar to most of the teams in the NHL,” Vigneault said after his one-year contract extension was announced on May 22, ending a month of speculation he wouldn’t be back. “The style of play depends on the personnel you have available. We are going to play the style that will permit us to win. That’s why we are all in this business. We’re going to put a style in place that will be suit the personnel we have, that is going to exploit all their strong points, maximum their potential.”
• Vigneault may have escaped the unemployment line, but two of his assistants did not. One day before his own contract extension was announced, the head coach had to tell both they were being terminated with a year left on their deals.
“That was a very challenging day for me,” said Vigneault. “Those are two individuals that I really have a high opinion of as far as people and hockey personnel. With somebody new coming on board we had to look at all positions within our staff. This is about moving forward and getting better. We feel to get better and move forward we had to make some adjustments.”
Barry Smith had been with the organization for nine years, first joining the club as a minor league assistant coach in 1999, while Mike Kelly spent the past three years in the Canucks’ organization, working one season as an assistant to Vigneault in the AHL before joining him with the Canucks, where one of his responsibilities was working with the power play, which struggled last season.
Associate coach Rick Bowness, who works specifically with the defense, will remain with the Canucks, while the new coaching vacancies may be filled by Scott Arniel and Brad Berry, who both coached the AHL affiliate in Manitoba last season.
• Gillis continued to live up to his promise to do things outside the existing NHL box, following up his hiring of salary cap specialist Laurence Gillman by hiring recently retired forward Scott Mellanby as a consultant to the GM. Even Mellanby, who last played as captain of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2007 and was last seen working the TV broadcasts in Canada as a between-period analyst, didn’t seem too clear on his job description, other than it involves pro player personnel.
“It’s something that’s got to be further developed as we go along,” said Mellanby, 41, who played for five teams over 20 seasons. “At this point, there are things over the summer that are coming up quickly and Mike wanted me involved. There’s going to be travel and different aspects. We’ll see how the role defines itself.”
The hiring, which followed Gillis being openly critical of the Canucks track record in scouting, signings and player development, led to speculation about the future of current director of player personnel Lorne Henning, but Gillis said that Mellanby has been retained to augment his scouts work, not replace them.
“(Mellanby) spent the majority of his time in the East recently and I want to have someone who can help us to take a hard look at those players who will become free agents this summer,” Gillis told the Vancouver Province. “There is no threat and no intended threat. It’s simply to augment and give us a different voice from a player who’s played 20 years in the league and who’s recently retired.”
Quote To Note:   “I think a lot of people thought with a new boss, and a new regime, that my chances of staying on board might have been diminished a little bit. But not only am I staying on board, Mike has shown me a great vote of confidence by extending my contract. I don’t intend to let him down.”—Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, after a month of speculation about his future under new general manager Mike Gillis was ended with a one-year contract extension through 2009-2010 on May 22.

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player:   Before a huge statistical slip down the stretch after the combination of 31 straight starts, a thinning defense and the birth of his first child all caught up to him, Roberto Luongo was actually on pace to better the numbers he posted while earning Vezina and Hart Trophy nominations. As much as some in Vancouver ripped him for the late season slide out of the playoffs, the Canucks would have been fighting for the first overall draft pick, not the postseason, without Luongo.
Most Disappointing Player:   There are actually two of them, but since they look so much alike and are largely unable to exist independently of each other, it seems only fair to list identical twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin for this distinction. As they did during last year’s playoffs, the Sedin twins disappeared as the games got more tougher down the stretch, their brother-to-brother cycle unable to get out of the corners and into scoring areas. Opponents focused on shutting them down, knowing full well general manager Dave Nonis (runner up for this award) had not secured enough secondary scoring to make them worry about checking anyone else. The twins actually got back to their early season point-a-game pace over the final two weeks but were a big part of a failed power play all season, seemed incapable of coming up with clutch goals down the stretch, and the month-long disappearing act through mid-March that finally led to them being split up did irreparable damage to the Canucks’ playoff chances.
Free Agent Focus:   The Canucks have already paid a free agent price for firing Dave Nonis after highly-touted Swedish forward Fabian Brunnstrom decided to sign in Dallas.
Brunnstrom, a 23-year-old late bloomer attracting interest and offers from almost half the league, was ready to put pen to paper with the Canucks before word got out that Nonis, whose efforts to sign him included two trips to Sweden and the promise of playing with the Sedin twins, might lose his job with the Canucks.
Once he did, Brunnstrom moved on, narrowing his focus to the Detroit Red Wings, who promised him at least a month on their roster during a red-carpet visit, as well as the Montreal Canadians, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Stars.
Biggest Needs:   There’s no question what the Canucks need to add in the offseason: goals, and plenty of them. For the second-straight season, the Canucks were among the lowest scoring teams in the NHL, averaging just 2.52 goals per game as they missed the playoffs by three points. With their goaltending set in Roberto Luongo and the defense solid one through seven, almost all of their approximately $20-million in salary cap space will be directed towards adding much-needed skill up front.
“It’s going to be different,” coach Alain Vigneault said of his roster on May 22, the day his contract extension through 2009-2010 was announced. “We’re no different than 75 percent of the league right now. We’ve put different scenarios together and hopefully we will be able to get the best possible team on the ice.”

Player Notes: 

• Left Wing Markus Naslund, an impending unrestricted free agent who may not return to the team he’s captained the last eight years, said the style of play would affect his chances of returning. “I love the way Detroit is playing the game and that’s what it’s all about,” said Naslund. “They’re having fun and obviously have world-class players who can do it, too. That’s a big part of it. You’ve got to have the skill to put that product on the ice. But it’s refreshing and fun to watch.”
• Center Brendan Morrison will resume skating in late July after right knee surgery to repair a torn ACL last month, but the fan favorite’s future as a free agent on July 1 remains uncertain under new GM Mike Gillis. “That’s the big question,” said Morrison, who grew up nearby. “Where does everybody stand and what’s the thought process? I really can’t comment because I haven’t had a meeting yet.”
• Defensemen Mattias Ohlund said he’s met with new GM Mike Gillis but there’s was no talk of an extension for a contract that expires at the end of next season, or being asked to waive his no-trade clause in any proposed deals.
• Denfensemen Alexander Edler was the only Canucks player to take part in the World Championships, his inclusion on Team Sweden just another sign of how far the 21-year-old has come in just his second pro season. After starting as the Canucks seventh defenseman, he finished with 20 points and a team-high 75 games-played on defense while also earning a spot on the YoungStars roster at the All-Star Game.