What happened: Former Vancouver Canucks executives Brian Burke and Dave Nonis aggressively pursued a trade for goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff from the San Jose Sharks ahead of the 2003-04 NHL season, according to Patrick Burke on the 32 Thoughts podcast. Negotiations unraveled over the complexity of proposed conditional draft pick compensation, leaving Kiprusoff in San Jose until his November 2003 trade to the Calgary Flames.

Why it matters: Kiprusoff went on to capture the Vezina Trophy in 2006 with Calgary, recording 319 career victories and establishing himself among the premier Finnish netminders in league history. Vancouver endured goaltending instability until acquiring Roberto Luongo in 2006, missing an early opportunity to secure a franchise anchor.

What to watch: Vancouver continues its 2026-27 regular season campaign as the club works to maintain consistency in net.