CLOUTIER

The Canucks kept Christmas alive with an NHL-best 28-9-3-3 record after Dec. 25, and took a 2-0 lead over Detroit in Round 1. But goalie Dan Cloutier fanned on a 90-footer in Game 3, and Santa went home. Right wing Todd Bertuzzi, left wing Markus Naslund and center Brendan Morrison lead the NHL's highest-scoring offense. Ed Jovanovski and Mattias Ohlund add grit on defense. Still, their success rests on Cloutier: Will he be naughty or nice?

	The Big Question
	Q: Will lack of defensive depth sink an offensive power? I don't think so, because the Canucks are so deep and have so much confidence offensively. They play a very good puck-possession game. Puck possession is nine-tenths of the law, and it will become even more important this year because of the fast-paced flow of the game. More teams are going to have trouble slowing it down. Vancouver will do well with such a hurry-up pace. The Canucks' possession game, along with their speed and skill, will make up for any lack of defensive depth and balance it out. -- Brian Engblom
	Good: Brendan Morrison could regress after recording career highs in goals and assists and earning a lucrative two-year deal, but circumstances dictate otherwise. With Andrew Cassels out of the mix, Morrison is the unquestioned No. 1 center. Playing a full season with Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi means 50 assists. Bad: Dan Cloutier played the best hockey of his NHL career last season, and it still wasn't a productive fantasy campaign. Vancouver should again win a lot of games, but Cloutier's goals-against average and save percentage aren't good enough to earn starter's minutes in fantasy hockey. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Brandon Reid, C A late-round draft choice in 2000, Reid doesn't have much size but adapted well to the professional game in the second half of last season.
	Minors Outlook
	Manitoba Moose General manager Randy Carlyle, with the Moose since their beginning, moved on to become an assistant coach in Washington. Still, the Moose will be solid with some Canucks prospects and minor-league veterans like pesky Jimmy Roy. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards The Canucks, who led the league in scoring last season, still rank among the Western Conference's upper class despite losing center Andrew Cassels to free agency. Besides having two of the league's top three scorers -- right winger Todd Bertuzzi and left winger Markus Naslund -- the Canucks were the youngest of the 16 teams to make the playoffs last year. While Brendan Morrison has thrived as a No. 1 center, Vancouver isn't blessed with a plethora of top-tier players -- depth is what places the team just below the top four in the West. The Sedin twins are developing nicely after just their second season in North America and Jan Hlavac vows to rebound from a disappointing season -- all three, plus Trent Klatt, can compensate for the loss of Cassels' production -- and then some. Western Conference Position Ranking: 5th Defensemen Ed Jovanovski, a fine combination of points and PIM, is one of the league's top 10 defensemen, and Mattias Ohlund can crack the top four on any team. Scott Lachance's signing with Columbus threatened the Canucks' depth until they acquired Sami Salo from the Senators for disgruntled winger Peter Schaefer. Still, without an upgrade in goaltending, the Canucks are in a precarious position if either Jovanovski or Ohlund are lost for significant time. Western Conference Position Ranking: T6th Goalie If only their goaltending would catch up with the rest of the team. Though Dan Cloutier's record was better after last season's All-Star break than before, his GAA and save percentage were worse. The flip side, he set personal and franchise records with seven shutouts. Journeyman Tyler Moss is pushing journeyman Peter Skudra for the backup job. Western Conference Position Ranking: 12th

Rankings: T8th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 42-30-7-3, 94 points Rank: T13th overall 8th West 2nd Northwest Playoffs: Lost to DET in first round Home: 23-11-5-2 Road: 19-19-2-1 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 254/3.10 (1st) Home: 139/3.39 (3rd) Road: 115/2.80 (6th) POWER PLAY Overall: 18.5/69-372 (4th) Home: 18.3/35-191 (6th) Road: 18.8/34-181 (7th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 211/2.57 (17th) Home: 100/2.44 (17th) Road: 111/2.71 (16th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 85.0/57-379 (15th) Home: 86.6/25-186 (11th) Road: 83.4/32-193 (18th) STATS LEADERS GOALS Markus Naslund (40) Todd Bertuzzi (36) Brendan Morrison (23) ASSISTS Naslund (50) Bertuzzi (49) Morrison (44) POINTS Naslund (90) Bertuzzi (85) Morrison (67) PENALTY MINUTES Matt Cooke (111) Bertuzzi (110) Ed Jovanovski (101) PLUS/MINUS Naslund (+22) Bertuzzi (+21) Brent Sopel (+21) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Peter Skudra (2.42) SAVE PERCENTAGE Skudra (.907) * - no longer with team