The Canucks finally dipped into the deep end of the free agency pool with a two-year, $8-million contract for Pavol Demitra on July 10, but the reality is the aging forward's impact on the offense will depend largely on Mats Sundin.

As Demitra said during an introductory conference call with the Vancouver press, his declining numbers last season in Minnesota -- 15 goals were the fewest of any full NHL and 58 points his lowest total since 2000 -- were a direct result of playing center instead of the wing in a defense-first Wild system.

"I like to play all over the ice and make passes and score," Demitra said. "In Minnesota, the center position is to stay high and be the first guy down low on defense. ...I just like to have freedom on the ice. I played my best hockey in St. Louis with guys like (Keith) Tkachuk and (Scott) Mellanby -- guys who always want to be the best. Guys who drive to net and work hard and guys who give me the puck as soon as possible. Put the right guys together and everything else will work."

The right guys in Vancouver would clearly include Sundin, a name that Demitra didn't hesitate to mention more than once while speaking with reporters.

However, if Sundin turns down a two-year, $20-million offer from the Canucks that would make him the highest paid player in the NHL next season, Demitra will almost certainly find himself back in the middle of a patchwork second line. (Unless of course the immortal Jason Krog, coming off a 112-point MVP season in the AHL but yet to be an NHL regular at 32 years of age, earns the second-line center spot, but the fact he could get that chance says a lot about the team's offensive depth).

So why was Demitra willing to overlook that possibility -- and ignore the fact that Vancouver under coach Alain Vigneault has relied largely on a similarly stifling (for both teams) defensive system as his old Wild team over the last two seasons?

Largely because new general manager Mike Gillie was his long-time agent.

"We became very close friends and I always like to play hockey for a guy like that," said Demitra, 33. "We've been talking and I know what kind of hockey he likes, he likes offensive hockey and that's what I like too. And he knows what I can bring. ...I can, offensively, do much more than what I did in Minnesota."

After losing captain Markus Naslund's 25 goals to an identical contract from the New York Rangers, and second-line center Brendan Morrison to a free agent offer from Anaheim earlier that same week, the goal-challenged Canucks need Demitra to revert to the form that saw him score 35 or more goals three times over eight seasons with St. Louis, including a career-high 93 points in 2002-03. Gillis is confident he can, pointing to Demitra's career totals: 281 goals and 699 points in 750 games over 14 seasons with Los Angeles, St. Louis, Ottawa and Minnesota.

"We saw a premium forward who could play all three forward positions and is coming off a season that wasn't his most productive, but has been a consistent point guy throughout his NHL career," Gillis said of Demitra. "I've watched the guy play an awful lot over the last 10 years so I know him well."

Gillis should know then that Demitra is no longer a player capable of creating offense on his own. At best, by adding Steve Bernier and Demitra in place of Naslund and Morrison, the Canucks are about the same as they were last season offensively -- and younger and perhaps a little more physical -- and their defense probably won't lead the league in injuries a second straight year. But they're still short at least one top-six forward. If it's Sundin, they are a better team then last season, when only a late collapse kept them out of the playoffs.

If not, the Canucks could be a coin flip to get back into the post-season.

"I think we're a more competitive team than we were at the end of last season," Gillis insisted. "We're selling (Demitra) on the fact we're going to be competitive in this conference and we've got some great people here. We have kept our defense; we have (goaltender) Roberto (Luongo) and we've added some elements."

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