# 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks season

The 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks season was the 42nd season in the modern Canucks history. The Vancouver Canucks were the defending Western Conference champions and three time defending Northwest Division champions. The Canucks opened the regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on October 6, 2011. Their final regular season game was held at Rogers Arena against the Edmonton Oilers on April 7, 2012. The Canucks entered the season expected to again contend for their first ever Stanley Cup after coming one win short from winning it the previous season and maintaining the majority of the players from the previous season on the roster. The Canucks struggled out of the gate, hovering around .500 until roughly the 20-game mark due to weak defensive play and a slow start from starting goaltender Roberto Luongo. The Canucks then recovered by the 20th game on November 20 against the Ottawa Senators (where they defeated the Senators 2–1) and would go on to play their best hockey of the season from that day until the end of February. The team dominated much like they did the season prior during this stretch from late-November to late-February, as goals came in bunches and the offense was backed up by strong goaltending from the tandem of Luongo and backup goaltender Cory Schneider. The peak of the Canucks' season came on January 7, 2012, in the 42nd game of the season which came against the Boston Bruins, a rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks prevailed 4–3 in a hard-fought playoff atmosphere, and they seemed to state to the hockey world that they would be heard from again come playoff time if they were to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals again. Despite their continuation of winning lengthy stretches of games within the last several weeks from early-March to early-April, the team did not play with the same heart they played with earlier in the season as the Canucks often played down to their competition by barely beating some of the weakest teams in the league as the offense seemed to disappear and the team was lucky to have maintained outstanding goaltending and defense that kept them in games and eventually leading them to their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy and second Presidents' Trophy in franchise history altogether on the final day of the season on April 7, when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3–0 and the top seeded Eastern Conference team and Presidents' Trophy runner-up New York Rangers lost their season finale the same day 4–1 against the Washington Capitals, ending their season with 109 points in the standings, two points behind the Canucks 111 points. Despite entering the 2012 playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference for the second year in a row and the back-to-back Presidents' Trophy winners, the Canucks were upset in the first round in five games by the eight-seeded Los Angeles Kings, who would eventually go on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history as the weeks went on. This marked the third consecutive season and fourth time in six seasons where the Canucks lost a playoff series to an eventual Stanley Cup champion.

## Off-season
### NHL Entry Draft

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was held June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Canucks selected eight players including Nicklas Jensen with their first-round draft choice, 29th overall. On day two of the entry draft the Vancouver Canucks traded their second-round draft choice to the Minnesota Wild for two picks in later rounds. In total, Vancouver selected eight players including David Honzík, Alexandre Grenier, Joseph LaBate, Ludwig Blomstrand, Frank Corrado, Pathrik Westerholm and Henrik Tommernes. In total, none would become regular NHL players, with Corrado playing the most games with 76 appearances across three teams.

### Minor League affiliations

On June 21, 2011, True North Sports & Entertainment, the owners of the Manitoba Moose received Board of Governors approval to purchase and re-locate the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba to replace the Manitoba Moose. The Moose announced that they were moving to St. John's and would become the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. As a result, the Canucks were left without an affiliate temporarily. On June 27, 2011, the Vancouver Canucks signed a two-year affiliation agreement with the Chicago Wolves. The Vancouver Canucks announced that Craig MacTavish would be the new coach for the Wolves on August 1 after Claude Noel, who coached the Manitoba Moose during the 2010–11 season, was hired by the Jets.
In addition, on April 8, 2011, it was announced that the Chilliwack Bruins of the Western Hockey League would be moving their franchise to Victoria, British Columbia. The sale of the Chilliwack Bruins to RG Properties was completed and made official on April 20 by the WHL. The Victoria Royals replaced the Victoria Salmon Kings and began play in the 2011–12 WHL season. RG Properties, who also owned the Victoria Salmon Kings, opted to fold the Salmon Kings franchise at the conclusion of the 2010–11 ECHL season. As a result, the Canucks were left without an ECHL minor league affiliate. The Salmon Kings spent five years as the ECHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.
On September 22, the Vancouver Canucks announced that it had signed an ECHL affiliation agreement with the Kalamazoo Wings.

## Preseason

Training camp began for the rookies on September 9 and included two days of on-ice training sessions followed by a four-game Young Stars tournament featuring prospects from other teams including the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets. Among the players were four that were selected from the 2011 Entry Draft. Nicklas Jensen, David Honzik, Alexandre Grenier and Frank Corrado all took part in the Canucks rookie training camp and Young Stars tournament. LaBate did not participate in the camp because his college semester had begun while Blomstrand, Westerholm and Tommernes were in the midst of training camp for their own Swedish hockey clubs.
The Vancouver Canucks main training camp started on September 16. Several veteran NHL players were invited to the camp on a try-out basis. These players included Owen Nolan, Anders Eriksson, Niko Dimitrakos and Todd Fedoruk. However, none of the invites were able to secure a contract with the club.
The Canucks played a total of eight preseason games where they finished with a record of 3–5. Much of the Vancouver Canucks roster were returning members from the 2010–11 season with the exception of Christian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres, who both changed teams, through trade and free agency respectively, during the off-season.
Citing the shortened off-season due to their appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Vancouver Canucks management and coaching staff decided to give a majority of the veterans rest. As a result players guaranteed roster spots in the regular season, such as Daniel and Henrik Sedin only played in two preseason games.

## Regular season

Like 2010–11, the Canucks were met with extremely high expectations for the upcoming season. They entered 2011–12 as the defending Presidents' Trophy and Western Conference champions. It was a record setting season that saw them rank first in the league in goals per game, goals against per game and power play percentage. Both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider were awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy for lowest goals against.
General consensus through various sports media outlets such as The Hockey News, Sports Illustrated, TSN and Sportsnet predicted that the Canucks would return to the Western Conference Finals or at least finish first in the Western Conference regular season.

### October–November

The Vancouver Canucks began their season on October 6 when they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins before embarking on a four-game road trip. Prior to the start of the home opener the Canucks organization held a ceremony to celebrate their 2010–11 season and to thank the police officers, firemen and volunteers who helped the city recover after the Stanley Cup riot. The game was supposed to be Sidney Crosby's third NHL game at Rogers Arena, and first hockey game since scoring the golden goal at the 2010 Winter Olympics but was unable to play as he was still recovering from a concussion. In the game, the Vancouver Canucks battled back from a 3–1 deficit but fell short in a shootout.
The club held a ceremony on October 18 prior to their game against the New York Rangers to honour the late Rick Rypien. Rypien played within the Vancouver Canucks organization for seven seasons, splitting time between the Canucks and the Manitoba Moose, before signing with the Winnipeg Jets during the summer. Rypien was found dead at his home in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, on August 15. The Canucks wore a helmet decal in honour of Rypien during the season. The Canucks also ran a video tribute for former Ranger Derek Boogaard who also died during the off-season.
The Canucks struggled throughout the month of October which was punctuated by a significant trade. Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm were traded to the Florida Panthers on October 22, just hours after the Canucks defeated the Minnesota Wild. In return, the Canucks acquired a third-round draft pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and forwards David Booth and Steven Reinprecht. The month ended with a match up against the Washington Capitals that saw the Canucks prevail by a final score of 7–4. Alex Edler, Maxim Lapierre and Chris Higgins all registered two goals for Vancouver while Alexander Ovechkin also scored a pair of goals for Washington.
The month of November opened with a six-game road trip beginning in Calgary, where the Canucks won the game by a score of 5–1. The game saw Daniel Sedin score his 254th goal of his career to tie Pavel Bure for fourth all-time in Canucks goal scoring. However, the Canucks continued to battle inconsistency and were unable to sustain any momentum through the first two-thirds of the month where they compiled a record of 4–4 capped by a blowout loss to rival Chicago. The Canucks, led by Cory Schneider who originally replaced an injured Roberto Luongo, finished the month with five consecutive victories that included back-to-back shutouts for Schneider. During the winning streak head coach Alain Vigneault became the team's winningest coach when the team defeated Colorado on November 23.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Northwest Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | p – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 43 | 249 | 198 | +51 | 111 |
| 2 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 37 | 29 | 16 | 34 | 202 | 226 | −24 | 90 |
| 3 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 208 | 220 | −12 | 88 |
| 4 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 177 | 226 | −49 | 81 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 212 | 239 | −27 | 74 |

### Conference standings

Western Conference :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | NW | p – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 43 | 249 | 198 | +51 | 111 |
| 2 | CE | y – St. Louis Blues | 82 | 49 | 22 | 11 | 45 | 210 | 165 | +45 | 109 |
| 3 | PA | y – Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 42 | 27 | 13 | 36 | 216 | 204 | +12 | 97 |
| 4 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 43 | 237 | 210 | +27 | 104 |
| 5 | CE | x – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 39 | 248 | 203 | +45 | 102 |
| 6 | CE | x – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 45 | 26 | 11 | 38 | 248 | 238 | +10 | 101 |
| 7 | PA | x – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 34 | 228 | 210 | +18 | 96 |
| 8 | PA | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 40 | 27 | 15 | 34 | 194 | 179 | +15 | 95 |
| 9 | NW | Calgary Flames | 82 | 37 | 29 | 16 | 34 | 202 | 226 | −24 | 90 |
| 10 | PA | Dallas Stars | 82 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 35 | 211 | 222 | −11 | 89 |
| 11 | NW | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 208 | 220 | −12 | 88 |
| 12 | NW | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 177 | 226 | −49 | 81 |
| 13 | PA | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 31 | 204 | 231 | −27 | 80 |
| 14 | NW | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 212 | 239 | −27 | 74 |
| 15 | CE | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 29 | 46 | 7 | 25 | 202 | 262 | −60 | 65 |

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2011–12 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Detailed records

Eastern Conference :
| Opponent | Home | Away | Total | Pts. | Goals scored | Goals allowed |
| Atlantic Division |||||||
| New Jersey Devils | 0–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| New York Islanders | 1–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| New York Rangers | 0–1–0 | 0–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 0–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 0–0–1 | 0–0–0 | 0–0–1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| | 1–1–1 | 1–1–0 | 2–2–1 | 5 | 13 | 15 |
| Northeast Division |||||||
| Boston Bruins | 0–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 0–1–0 | 0–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 0–1–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Ottawa Senators | 1–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
| | 2–2–0 | 4–0–0 | 6–2–0 | 12 | 29 | 22 |
| Southeast Division |||||||
| Carolina Hurricanes | 0–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Florida Panthers | 0–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 0–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Washington Capitals | 1–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 1–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| | 2–0–0 | 1–2–0 | 3–2–0 | 6 | 19 | 16 |
Western Conference :
| Opponent | Home | Away | Total | Pts. | Goals scored | Goals allowed |
| Central Division |||||||
| Chicago Blackhawks | 1–1–0 | 1–0–1 | 2–1–1 | 5 | 11 | 11 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 2–0–0 | 1–0–1 | 3–0–1 | 7 | 12 | 8 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 1–0–1 | 1–1–0 | 2–1–1 | 5 | 11 | 11 |
| Nashville Predators | 1–1–0 | 1–1–0 | 2–2–0 | 4 | 15 | 13 |
| St. Louis Blues | 1–1–0 | 1–1–0 | 2–2–0 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| | 6–3–1 | 5–3–2 | 11–6–3 | 25 | 56 | 51 |
| Northwest Division |||||||
| Calgary Flames | 2–1–0 | 1–1–1 | 3–2–1 | 7 | 18 | 13 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 3–0–0 | 3–0–0 | 6–0–0 | 12 | 19 | 5 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 3–0–0 | 2–1–0 | 5–1–0 | 10 | 22 | 13 |
| Minnesota Wild | 3–0–0 | 1–2–0 | 4–2–0 | 8 | 16 | 11 |
| Vancouver Canucks | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| | 11–1–0 | 7–4–1 | 18–5–1 | 37 | 75 | 42 |
| Pacific Division |||||||
| Anaheim Ducks | 1–1–0 | 1–1–0 | 2–2–0 | 4 | 15 | 14 |
| Dallas Stars | 1–1–0 | 1–0–1 | 2–1–1 | 5 | 11 | 11 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 1–0–1 | 1–1–0 | 2–1–1 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Phoenix Coyotes | 1–1–0 | 1–0–1 | 2–1–1 | 5 | 12 | 8 |
| San Jose Sharks | 1–0–1 | 2–0–0 | 3–0–1 | 7 | 12 | 10 |
| | 5–3–2 | 6–2–2 | 11–5–4 | 26 | 57 | 52 |

### Playoffs

The Vancouver Canucks clinched the Presidents' Trophy for the second consecutive year and second time in franchise history, thus guaranteeing themselves home ice advantage for the duration of the playoffs regardless of how far they were to go. However, they were knocked out in the first round by the eighth-seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.
2012 Stanley Cup playoffs :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Henrik Sedin | 82 | 14 | 67 | 81 | +23 | 52 |
| Daniel Sedin | 71 | 30 | 37 | 67 | +14 | 40 |
| Alex Burrows | 80 | 28 | 24 | 52 | +24 | 90 |
| Ryan Kesler | 77 | 22 | 27 | 49 | +11 | 56 |
| Alexander Edler | 82 | 11 | 38 | 49 | 0 | 34 |
| Kevin Bieksa | 78 | 8 | 36 | 44 | +12 | 94 |
| Chris Higgins | 71 | 18 | 25 | 43 | +11 | 16 |
| Jannik Hansen | 82 | 16 | 23 | 39 | +18 | 34 |
| Dan Hamhuis | 82 | 4 | 33 | 37 | +29 | 46 |
| Cody Hodgson$^‡$ | 61 | 16 | 17 | 33 | +10 | 8 |
| David Booth$^†$ | 56 | 16 | 13 | 29 | +1 | 32 |
| Sami Salo | 69 | 9 | 16 | 25 | +7 | 10 |
| Mason Raymond | 55 | 10 | 10 | 20 | +4 | 18 |
| Maxim Lapierre | 82 | 9 | 10 | 19 | −3 | 130 |
| Manny Malhotra | 78 | 7 | 11 | 18 | −11 | 14 |
| Aaron Rome | 43 | 4 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 46 |
| Dale Weise | 68 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −1 | 81 |
| Keith Ballard | 47 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 64 |
| Andrew Ebbett | 18 | 5 | 1 | 6 | +2 | 6 |
| Samuel Pahlsson$^†$ | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +4 | 12 |
| Byron Bitz | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +2 | 14 |
| Andrew Alberts | 44 | 2 | 1 | 3 | +4 | 40 |
| Zack Kassian$^†$ | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 31 |
| Marc-Andre Gragnani$^†$ | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −4 | 6 |
| Mikael Samuelsson$^‡$ | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 6 |
| Christopher Tanev | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +10 | 2 |
| Mike Duco | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 5 |
| Aaron Volpatti | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 37 |
| Alexander Sulzer$^‡$ | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +6 | 2 |
| Bill Sweatt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Mancari | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Victor Oreskovich | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Marco Sturm$^‡$ | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5 | 2 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Henrik Sedin | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Dan Hamhuis | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −2 | 6 |
| Ryan Kesler | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −1 | 6 |
| Alexander Edler | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 8 |
| Daniel Sedin | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Bieksa | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Jannik Hansen | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 14 |
| Alex Burrows | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 7 |
| Samuel Pahlsson | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 4 |
| Keith Ballard | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 2 |
| Maxim Lapierre | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| David Booth | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| Mason Raymond | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| Byron Bitz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Aaron Rome | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Ebbett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dale Weise | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zack Kassian | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Christopher Tanev | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Manny Malhotra | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| Sami Salo | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |
| Chris Higgins | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |

### Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; GS = Game Starts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; GAA= Goals against average; SA= Shots against; Sv% = Save percentage; SO= Shutouts
Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO |
| Roberto Luongo | 55 | 54 | 3,162 | 31 | 14 | 8 | 127 | 2.41 | 1,577 | .919 | 5 |
| Cory Schneider | 33 | 28 | 1,832 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 60 | 1.96 | 885 | .937 | 3 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO |
| Cory Schneider | 3 | 183 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1.31 | 101 | .960 | 0 |
| Roberto Luongo | 2 | 117 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3.59 | 64 | .891 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Canucks. Stats reflect time with Canucks only. $^‡$Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Canucks only.
Updated after game on April 7, 2012

## Awards and records
### Records

Regular season :
| Player | Record | Awarded |
| Alain Vigneault | Most franchise victories (coaching) – 247 | November 23, 2011 |
| Roberto Luongo | Most franchise victories (goalie) – 212 | January 21, 2012 |
| Daniel Sedin | Most franchise overtime goals – 10 | January 31, 2012 |

### Milestones

Regular season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Henrik Sedin | 500th consecutive game | October 6, 2011 |
| Dale Weise | 1st career goal 1st career point | October 20, 2011 |
| Dale Weise | 1st career assist | October 29, 2011 |
| Ryan Kesler | 500th career game | November 23, 2011 |
| Daniel Sedin | 5th career hat trick | December 6, 2011 |
| Mike Duco | 1st career point 1st career assist | January 10, 2012 |
| Alex Burrows | 500th career game | February 21, 2012 |

### Awards

Regular season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Cory Schneider | NHL Second Star of the Week | November 28, 2011 |
| Henrik Sedin | NHL Third Star of the Month | January 1, 2012 |
| Cody Hodgson | NHL Rookie of the Month | February 2, 2012 |

## Draft picks

Vancouver's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 29 | Nicklas Jensen | LW | Denmark | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 3 | 71$^1$ | David Honzík | G | Czech Republic | Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 90 | Alexandre Grenier | RW | Canada | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
| 4 | 101$^1$ | Joseph LaBate | C | United States | Academy of Holy Angels (USHS-MN) |
| 4 | 120 | Ludwig Blomstrand | LW | Sweden | Djurgardens IF J20 (J20 SuperElit) |
| 5 | 150 | Frank Corrado | D | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) |
| 6 | 180 | Pathrik Westerholm | RW | Sweden | Malmo Redhawks (Allsvenskan) |
| 7 | 210 | Henrik Tommernes | D | Sweden | Frolunda HC (Elitserien) |
* An additional second-round draft pick was awarded to the Montreal Canadiens as compensation for failing to sign a first-round draft choice. Therefore, all picks after have been moved down by one. The New Jersey Devils forfeit a third-round draft pick, but league protocol retains the draft pick number so that subsequent draft numbers are unaffected. 1. These picks were acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild that sent the Canucks 60th overall pick for the 71st and 101st overall picks.

## Transactions
### Trades

| February 27, 2012 | To Vancouver CanucksAndrew Gordon | To Anaheim DucksSebastian Erixon |
| February 27, 2012 | To Vancouver CanucksZack Kassian Marc-Andre Gragnani | To Buffalo SabresCody Hodgson Alexander Sulzer |
| February 27, 2012 | To Vancouver CanucksSamuel Pahlsson | To Columbus Blue JacketsTaylor Ellington 4th-round pick in 2012 4th-round pick in 2012 |
| October 22, 2011 | To Vancouver CanucksDavid Booth Steven Reinprecht 3rd-round pick in 2013 | To Florida PanthersMarco Sturm Mikael Samuelsson |
| July 9, 2011 | To Vancouver CanucksMike Duco | To Florida PanthersSergei Shirokov |
| June 28, 2011 | To Vancouver Canucks4th-round pick in 2012 | To New York IslandersChristian Ehrhoff |
| June 25, 2011 | To Vancouver Canucks3rd-round pick in 2011 3rd-round pick in 2011 | To Minnesota Wild2nd-round pick in 2011 |
* ↑ Trade of negotiating rights to.

### Players signed

| Date | Player | Contract terms |
| September 23, 2011 | Frank Corrado | 3 years, $1.83 million |
| September 22, 2011 | Nicklas Jensen | 3 years, $2.775 million |
| September 8, 2011 | Victor Oreskovich | 1 year, $605,000 |
| July 28, 2011 | Jannik Hansen | 3 years, $4.05 million |
| July 1, 2011 | Nolan Baumgartner | 1 year, $525,000 |
| July 1, 2011 | Chris Higgins | 2 years, $3.8 million |
| July 1, 2011 | Sami Salo | 1 year, $2 million |
| June 29, 2011 | Andrew Alberts | 2 years, $2.45 million |
| June 27, 2011 | Maxim Lapierre | 2 years, $2 million |
| June 27, 2011 | Kevin Bieksa | 5 years, $23 million |

### Waivers
#### Acquired

| Date | Player | Former team |
| October 4, 2011 | Dale Weise | New York Rangers |

### Free agents signed

| Player | Former team | Contract terms |
| Byron Bitz | Free agent | 1 year, $700,000 |
| Alexander Sulzer | Florida Panthers | 1 year, $700,000 |
| Matt Climie | San Antonio Rampage (AHL) | 1 year, $525,000 |
| Steve Pinizzotto | Hershey Bears (AHL) | 1 year, $600,000 |
| Andrew Ebbett | Phoenix Coyotes | 1 year, $525,000 |
| Marco Sturm | Washington Capitals | 1 year, $2.25 million |
| Mark Mancari | Buffalo Sabres | 1 year, $525,000 |

### Free agents lost

| Player | New team | Contract terms |
| Lee Sweatt | Ottawa Senators | 2 years, $1.3 million |
| Jeff Tambellini | ZSC Lions (NLA) | 3 years |
| Guillaume Desbiens | Calgary Flames | 1 year, $525,000 |
| Rick Rypien | Winnipeg Jets | 1 year, $700,000 |
| Tanner Glass | Winnipeg Jets | 1 year, $750,000 |
| Alex Bolduc | Phoenix Coyotes | 1 year, $575,000 |
| Raffi Torres | Phoenix Coyotes | 2 years, $3.5 million |
| Sergei Shirokov | CSKA Moscow | 3 years |

## Farm teams

* The Chicago Wolves are the new Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate beginning in the 2011–12 season.
* The Kalamazoo Wings are the new Canucks' ECHL affiliate beginning in the 2011–12 season.