The 2010–11 Vancouver Canucks season was the 41st season in the modern Canucks history. The Vancouver Canucks won their fifth Northwest division title, third conference championship and first Presidents' Trophy. They also reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in franchise history, losing to the Boston Bruins in seven games. This marked the last time a Canadian team contended in the Stanley Cup Finals until the Montreal Canadiens did so in 2021, ten years later.
Events
Off-season
Entry draft
The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was held June 25–26, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Canucks had the 25th overall draft choice in the first round as a result of being defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference semi-final, but that draft choice was traded to the Florida Panthers. The Canucks also did not have a second- or third-round draft pick. Their second-round pick was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Steve Bernier. Their third-round pick was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes at the NHL trade deadline in exchange for Andrew Alberts. The Canucks acquired an additional sixth-round draft choice from the Phoenix Coyotes as a result of a trade that sent Mathieu Schneider to Phoenix. Vancouver had the 115th, 145th, 172nd, 175th and 205th overall draft choices.
Trades
On June 25, 2010, the Canucks acquired Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Steve Bernier, Michael Grabner and the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Mike Gillis traded Shane O'Brien and Dan Gendur to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Ryan Parent and Jonas Andersson on October 5, 2010. Parent was immediately waived after being acquired while Andersson was assigned to the Manitoba Moose (now St. John's Ice Caps) of the American Hockey League. On October 6, Darcy Hordichuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Andrew Peters. Peters would play for the Manitoba Moose.
On October 7, Mike Gillis made another trade with the Florida Panthers, this time acquiring Nathan Paetsch for Sean Zimmerman.
Player signings
On April 6, 2010, the Canucks signed Swedish goaltender Eddie Läck to a two-year entry level contract. Lack spent the 2009–10 season as a member of the Brynäs IF, posting a 2.67 goals against average (GAA) and a .911 save percentage. He was expected to start the year with the Manitoba Moose.
On May 31, 2010, the Canucks announced that they signed three defencemen, including prospect Yann Sauvé. Sauvé was drafted 41st overall by the Canucks in the 2008 draft. In addition, they signed free agent Lee Sweatt and Christopher Tanev. Sweatt split time in the Finnish SM-liiga and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the 2009–10 season. He registered nine goals and seven assists in 21 games for TPS in Finland. Sweatt added two goals and five assists in 37 games in the KHL with Dinamo Riga. Christopher Tanev signed as a free agent after playing in the NCAA, where he scored 10 goals and 18 assists in 41 games for the RIT Tigers.
On June 1, 2010, Vancouver signed Anton Rödin to a three-year, entry-level contract. Rödin was drafted 53rd overall by the Canucks in the 2009 Draft. He spent the 2009–10 season in the Swedish Elite League with Brynäs IF. He also played at the 2010 World Junior Championships, where he won a bronze medal with Sweden. He finished the tournament tied for second in scoring for Sweden with three goals and ten points, good enough for ninth in the tournament.
On June 2, 2010, Mike Gillis signed Cory Schneider to a contract extension with the team. He was drafted in the first round, 26th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Canucks. He spent the last two seasons playing with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, where he was named the League's Goaltender of the Year in 2008–09 while leading the Moose to the Calder Cup Final. The Canucks also announced that they signed Peter Andersson to an entry-level contract. Andersson was drafted 143rd overall by the Canucks in 2009.
On June 16, 2010, the Vancouver Canucks re-signed pending unrestricted free agent Aaron Rome to a two-year contract. The deal is worth $1.5 million and will have a salary cap hit of $750,000 per season. On July 2, 2010, Alexandre Bolduc signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $500,000. Shane O'Brien re-signed with the Canucks on July 6, 2010, when he accepted his qualifying offer. The new contract will pay O'Brien $1.6 million for one year. Tanner Glass also signed a one-year contract worth $625,000.
On July 22, Jannik Hansen was awarded a one-year contract worth $825,000 by an arbitrator.