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 Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Stars.

PLAYER NOTES

--LW Markus Naslund, an impending free agent who may not return, had minor surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, an injury that dates all the way back to the Steve Moore hit in March, 2004 that led to Todd Bertuzzi's now infamous attack.

--D 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.

--C Ryan Kesler turned down an invite to play for the U.S. at the World Hockey Championships because his wife was expecting the couple's first child.

--G Roberto Luongo also turned down an invite to play for Canada at the World Championships, citing fatigue and the desire to spend time in Florida with his wife, who was there all season, and their newborn baby girl.

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