The two biggest decisions for new Canucks general manager Mike Gillis involve whether or not to bring back his coach and his captain.

The two decisions may be related.

Responding to a report he wouldn't be back if defense-first coach Alain Vigneault returned, captain Markus Naslund, an impending unrestricted free agent and former client of Gillis before the jump from player agent to GM, wasn't exactly backing down from his desire to play a more up-tempo, offensive style of hockey.

Asked during a sit down interview with rights-holder TV network Sportsnet, Naslund hesitated slightly when asked is he wouldn't return is Vigneault was retained.

"It's more the type of hockey that's being played," he said after the awkward pause. "I don't know whether Alain is a real defensive minded guy if he has different personnel. If he has a bunch of high-skill guys that need to play a certain way, I'm sure he could adjust his coaching style too."

But it's safe to say he won't sign on for a defense-first system?

"No, that's safe to say," said Naslund.

The question for both Naslund and Gillis is whether Vigneault can coach any other way. Gillis said during his introductory press conference on April 23 that he wasn't ready to pass judgment on Vigneault because he was doing what he had to do to win with the assets he had, assets Gillis said were lacking badly in skill and grit up front. Yet, after talking to Vigneault for several hours a day over the span of a week through early May, Gillis still hadn't made a decision.

"I have spent four or five days talking with Alain on different issues and getting to know him, getting to understand where he is coming from," the new GM said during an hour-long interview on a local radio station. "We are just getting into the heart of it now and that's going to take some time. Until we get through that process, there won't be any decisions made in any regard."

As for Naslund, a Canuck almost 12 seasons and captain the last eight, he hinted he'd rather quit playing than keep playing a style he didn't enjoy. The irony, of course, is that the goal-challenged Canucks made it to the second round of the playoffs in the first year of that system, something they only managed to do once in six seasons under the previous run-and-gun style Naslund longs to return to.

"Until you know what the options are, it's tough to comment on it. I have to look; if I don't like any of the options, it's definitely an option to retire," he said.

"I want to play and play an offensive game and, yeah, try to enjoy the game and have fun. I think that's when I play my best hockey and that's when I enjoy hockey the most, when you play an upbeat style of game and get chances."

Whether Naslund, who is coming off a three-year, $18-million contract and steadily declining production, is also willing to work to eliminate chances is a question Gillis must also ask, especially since his former client doesn't fit the "tougher, stronger, grittier" mold he said the team needs more of up front.

"The decision we make about any player on this team will be based on his utility, his ability to compete, and be a valuable asset in winning," said Gillis. "And that's not going to change with Markus or anybody else. If we can't provide an environment that makes perfect sense for Markus to be here, then he won't be here. If it makes perfect sense to be here, then he will be here."

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.

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