<table width=75% align=center><tr><td><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/09/sunny_blog.jpg" style="float: left; padding-right: 4px;">While watching the Markus Naslund 1,000 game hoopla last week, I got to thinking: is it weird that the Canucks presented Markus with flowers before the LA game? Is he a big flower enthusiast? Are hockey players routinely given flowers for reaching milestones? The one time I needed Scott Oake to provide me with some clarity, he was nowhere to be found. Typical.

Anyway, once I gave up with that line of questioning, I started wondering which current Canucks might someday join Markus and Trevor Linden in the 1,000 game club.

Ranking the other guys on the roster from least likely to reach 1,000 games to most likely, here’s what I found.

Not Gonna Happen

22. Curtis Sanford: With 82 career appearances at age 28, Vancouver’s backup netminder is about as likely to get to 1,000 games as… well, I am.

21. Mike Weaver: The undrafted defenseman is on his third club in four years and has never played more than 53 games in a single season. Unless he develops a way to play until he’s 60, that pace isn’t going to cut it.

20. Byron Ritchie: Byron just reached the 300 game mark at age 30. Barring injury (as is the case with all these predictions), Byron should set a career high in games this season but the former Hartford Whalers draft pick would need to register eight similar seasons to even sniff 1,000.

19. Jeff Cowan: The Bra-barian is nearing 400 career games but with the diminished role of enforcers in today’s NHL and the fact that he’ll be 32 this September, Cowan might not get too far beyond 500.

18. Kris Beech: The good news? The 26-year old former first rounder has played 193 games in his NHL career. The bad news? Only 94 of those games have come in the past three seasons and Beech has been with five clubs since 03-04.

17. Brad Isbister: Would you have guessed that Izzy’s played in more NHL games than Sami Salo? Me neither. But his 519 appearances at age 30 prove otherwise. However, like Beech, Isbister’s bounced around a lot, playing for six teams overall and four in the last four years. He’ll be hard-pressed to stick with the big club long enough to make a run at 600, never mind 1,000.

16. Aaron Miller: At 669 games, Miller’s more than two-thirds of the way there. But he’ll be 37 later this year and his body’s got more mileage on it than… hmm, I’m going to stop right there.

15. Sami Salo: The Finnish MacInnis has missed 55 games in the last two and a half seasons and has only played more than 70 twice in his nine-year career. At his current pace, he would need to play about eight more seasons to reach 1,000 games. No dice.

Outlook Not So Good<img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/01/jan0808_canuck-islander05_t.jpg" style="float: right; padding-right: 4px;" />

14. Alex Burrows: An interesting case, to be sure. He didn’t make his NHL debut until he was 24 but Alex has missed just one contest since the beginning of last season. His 173 games at age 26 are similar to Beech but his defensive skills make it more likely he’ll be a regular for years to come. However, he’ll have to avoid injury into his mid-to-late 30s and probably improve his offense to make a run at 1,000. Not too likely.

13. Kevin Bieksa: Much like Burrows, Bieksa got off to a late start and made his NHL debut at 24. And while he was a mainstay in the lineup last season, Bieksa’s been out for most of this year with a calf injury. The only reason he might have a better chance at cracking 1,000 than Burrows is that his hard-nosed defensive play is likely to be in demand for years to come. Provided his leg heals, of course.

12. Matt Cooke: The Cooker’s 553 games at age 29 have him on a solid pace but he’s proven to be awfully brittle of late. He played only 53 games in 03-04, then missed 37 more with jaw and ankle problems the following season. While he appeared in 81 games for Vancouver last year, a groin injury kept him out of the lineup for all but one of the team’s playoff games. Matt’s recent troubles putting the puck in the net also don’t bode well for his run at 1,000.

11. Roberto Luongo: Patrick Roy is the all-time leader in games played by a goaltender with 1,029. For Roberto to even near him, he would need seven more seasons in which he played at least 70 games or ten seasons in which he played at least 60. Godlike as he may be, it’s hard to envision Luongo playing at that pace into his late 30s.

10. Willie Mitchell: Like Bieksa, Willie’s hard-nosed style could keep him in demand for the better part of a decade. In fact, I can see a 39-year old Mitchell sporting the Dave Babych moustache and commandeering the Canucks cup run in 2015-16. But do you realize he’s played more than 70 games in a season only once? With 431 games at age 30, Willie will have to keep his current pace going for about eight more seasons. Can he do it? Sure, but it’s far from a given.

<img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/12/dec2007_canuckvsdallas06_t.jpg" style="float: left; padding-left: 4px;" />Stranger Things Have Happened

9. Mason Raymond: Of all the decisions, this is the one I wrestled with the most. I know, I know, he’s only played 26 NHL games. But Mason is just 22, he’s a great skater, he has offensive flair, and he’s smart out on the ice. If you can give me a reason to mark him down, please feel free. I’m also well aware that this is a huge jinx I’m putting on Raymond so if anything happens to him, feel free to swing by my house with a flaming torch. I’ll even help you swing it.

8. Lukas Krajicek: 24 years of age with more than 200 games under his belt. But Krajicek has missed 15 contests the last year and a half and injuries, or perhaps the fear of injuries, are the reason I didn’t rank him higher. Lukas seems to take more of a physical pounding than any other Canucks defenseman, to the extent that I’m not sure his body will make it to 1,000 games.

7. Taylor Pyatt: The Pieman made his NHL debut at age 19, which means he had played 200 games before many of his current Canucks teammates had ever sniffed the big club. Assuming he stays healthy for the rest of this season, Pyatt needs to average about 75 games per season for seven seasons to reach 1,000. Since he’s still just 26, it’s definitely within reach.

6. Ryan Kesler: Another guy who started young, Kesler also made his NHL debut at 19. The now-23 Kesler has appeared in just over 200 games. But he’s had some injury problems, as evidenced by last season’s hip and finger issues. These could just be freak injuries that meant nothing, or they could be freak injuries that hint at the fact Kesler’s body is more brittle than we realize. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Looks Good<img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2008/01/011308_blues09_t.jpg" style="float: right; padding-right: 4px;" />

5. Alexander Edler: As with Raymond, there’s a lot to like here. Edler’s just 21 and should near 100 games by the end of this season. His play seems effortless at times (in a good way) and his defensive zone smarts are well beyond his years. Expect him to be an NHL regular for the better part of the next decade and a half. If that’s the case, 1,000 games won’t be a problem.

4. Brendan Morrison: Mo’s consecutive games played streak finally came to an end at 542 due to wrist surgery. But he’s shown he can play through pain and with 665 games at age 32, he only needs about four more seasons of Brendan Morrison hockey to reach 1,000. Here’s betting he does it.

3. Mattias Ohlund: Mattias’ numbers are quite similar to Morrison’s. He’s played in 669 games – all as a Canuck – but where he gets a slight advantage is in age; Ohlund’s one year younger. Mattias should creep past 700 games this season, which would mean he only has to average 75 games for the next four seasons to follow. It’s certainly doable.

Bet The Farm

1. Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin: How could they not appear on a list together? It simply can’t be done. Daniel and Henrik share the top spot because they should both pass the 550-game mark by the end of this season, at age 27. Despite playing their cycle game in the dirty areas, the twins have shown a remarkable ability to avoid injury. Daniel’s missed 14 games in his seven year career, and just one over the last three and a half. Henrik’s been even harder to keep out of the lineup, having missed 10 games overall, while playing the 82 in four of his six full seasons. Since he’s played in four more games, Henrik’s ceremony should come a week before Daniel’s. That slacker.

</td></tr></table>