I was hugely disappointed that Vladimir Krutov lacked the character of his countryman and linemate Igor Larionov. Apparently Krutov had a serious hot dog habit and didn't really make the transition to the North American game. He lasted 61 games in Vancouver, while Larionov played 921 NHL games, counting 169 goals, 475 assists and two Stanley Cups. Krutov, for me, was the biggest disappointment in a lengthy list of disappointments in Canucks history.
On the positive side of the ledger, I wasn't excited about Alex Burrows in his first couple of years (21 points in 124 games), but once he clicked with the Sedins he was an undisputed top line player. Quite a leap for an non-drafted kid who started his pro career at the bottom with the ECHL Greenville Grrrrowl, Baton Rouge Kingfish and the Columbia Inferno, then continued with the Manitoba Moose until arriving in Vancouver, scratching and clawing for every minute of ice time he could get. Burrows has to be the poster boy for what ambition can achieve in the face of long odds.