1998-99 record: 23-47-12, 58 points, 4th Northwest Division
Coach: Marc Crawford (8-23-6, one year with Canucks)
New faces: C Andrew Cassels, D Chris O'Sullivan, D Bryan Allen, LW Jarkko Ruutu
Losses: D Bryan McCabe, G Corey Hirsch, C Dave Gagner, D Dana Murzyn, D Bert Robertsson, RW Steve Staios, C Peter Zezel, D Mark Wotton
Strengths: The Canucks should be a lot better than last season's record indicated. They were crippled by injuries to C Mark Messier, LW Todd Bertuzzi and RW-LW Alexander Mogilny – their top line. GM Brian Burke was able to draft both Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, who should be impact players in the future. RW Bill Muckalt was in the running for the Calder Trophy until fading late in the season. The Canucks' defense got better with the acquisition of Ed Jovanovski in the deal for Pavel Bure and could be even more improved if 1998 first-round draft pick Bryan Allen is ready for the NHL. D Mattias Ohlund already is an All-Star, but the Canucks still ranked third-to-last in goals-against. D Adrian Aucoin was a major surprise last season, leading all defensemen with 23 goals and finishing third in the NHL with 18 power-play tallies. LW Markus Naslund also enjoyed a career season with 36 goals. The Canucks lucked into Crawford, who is only four years removed from guiding Colorado to the Stanley Cup.
Weaknesses: While the Sedins figure to be impact players, that impact will not come before the 2000-01 season. Burke announced over the summer that the Swedish siblings will remain in Europe for one more year. Burke also called G Kevin Weekes the cornerstone of the Bure deal. But Weekes remains in search of his first NHL win after 22 games. There are those who believe Messier's presence serves only to hinder the Canucks. Since his arrival, Vancouver is 48-90-26. Sadly, he's not the only veteran who has been a disappointment in a Canucks' uniform. Mogilny has combined for 32 goals in the last two seasons after scoring 31 in 1996-97. If players like Mogilny could harness the energy and determination of C Dave Scatchard, they would be dangerous again. Crawford has to make this a more disciplined team. The Canucks were next-to-last in the NHL at 21.5 penalty minutes per game.
Crawford says: "I think we've got to improve in each area, improve in the goaltending, where we make quality first stops. In the defensive zone, we have to concentrate on making good, crisp exits out of the zone, making those first passes that get us out of trouble. We have a lot of work to do on getting our defense to supplement the attack."