Adam Kierszenblat · The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks Tue, November 3, 2026 at 8:00 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brian Burke pulled off some franchise-altering trades as GM of the Vancouver Canucks. Notable moves included trading for the picks to draft Daniel and Henrik Sedin and acquiring key players like Ed Jovanovski, Sami Salo, Dan Cloutier, Brendan Morrison, and Trevor Linden. One name not on the list is Miikka Kiprusoff, who, according to a new podcast appearance, almost became the Canucks' starting goaltender.
On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts , Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas interviewed both Brian and his son Patrick Burke. At around the 25-minute mark, Friedman asked Patrick if there were any trades his father regretted. Burke chose a trade that didn't happen, which would have landed Vancouver a future Vezina winner.
"I remember him and Dave Nonis negotiating aggressively on Miikka Kiprusoff when they were in Vancouver and not quite getting the deal across the line," said Burke. "And if I remember right, because I was sitting next to them at the table, (Nonis) was trying to pull together a conditional pick. Which, at the time, it's very common now, but teams didn't do it much. You know, if the guy plays X number of games, or his goals against is this or we make the playoffs, it goes from a third to a second or whatever it was. I think it was just getting too convoluted, but I remember Kiprusoff being on the table in Vancouver and years of goaltending problems in Vancouver that that may have solved. At the time, he was an unknown. It was a big swing, but I remember sitting there, listening to the negotiations and then, two years later, kind of gone, 'Oh, that would have been nice.'"
While Burke did not reveal exactly when this deal would have happened, it would have occurred before the start of the 2003-04 campaign. This is because Kiprusoff was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Calgary Flames on November 16, 2023. At the time of the trade, Kiprusoff had played three seasons with the Sharks and posted a 14-21-3 record.
Kiprusoff would develop into one of the best Finnish goaltenders in NHL history. He recorded 319 wins and won the Vezina Trophy in 2006. The Canucks would have to wait a few more years before getting their franchise-altering goalie, as in 2006, Dave Nonis acquired Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers .
Apr 6, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff (34) during the third period against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
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