Calgary's big off-season catch, defenceman Jay Bouwmeester.

By Gary Melo

SPORTSNET.CA

With the National Hockey League season now passing its midway point, sportsnet.ca takes a look at how each Canadian team's new additions have fared in the first half.

We start with a look at western-based teams, the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

Vancouver  Canucks

Clearly, the smartest move Canucks general manager Mike Gills made in the summer was re-signing the Sedin twins long-term. While his Toronto Maple Leafs counterpart was on a flight to Sweden to pitch Daniel and Henrik on July 1, Gillis was putting pen to paper on a pair of major building blocks for the franchise. Unfortunately, Daniel missed a chunk of time earlier in the season with a foot injury, but Henrik has been an offensive force with his league-leading 64 points (20 goals, 44 assists).

Once the Sedins were locked up, Gills quickly turned his focus to secondary scoring. A three-year, $7.5-million contract for Mikael Samuelsson not only provided the Canucks with more firepower up front, but it also brought in a veteran player with a Stanley Cup ring. With Samuelsson stuck as a third- and fourth-line player on a potent Detroit Red Wings offence, the opportunity to play a top-six role with the Canucks made the move a no-brainer for the Swedish forward.

Acquired via trade from San Jose
GP	G	A	PTS	+/-
47	9	14	23	19
Extra stat: Tied for team lead with 17 PP points

A spot alongside the Sedins seemed to make the most sense entering the season -- especially considering the three played together on the gold medal-winning Swedes at the 2006 Olympics -- but he's instead found himself on a line with Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler. The trio has provided plenty of offensive support to the top line, with Samuelsson recently stringing together a seven-game point streak while continuing to lead the team in total shots on goal. Not being named to Sweden's Olympic team for Vancouver 2010 certainly lit a fire under the forward -- Samuelsson has five goals and three assists in nine games since being left off the roster.

Failing to make a major defensive splash through free agency, Gillis went the trade route to beef up his blueline. Acquiring defencemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich from the San Jose Sharks has solidified the group in front of Roberto Luongo. Ehrhoff, second to only Willie Mitchell in minutes played on the team, has been the anchor on Vancouver's power play (fourth-best in the NHL at 21.9 per cent), recording 17 of his 23 points with the man advantage. His five-on-five play has almost been impressive, boasting a team-high plus-19 rating. Lukowich has had less an impact overall, but has recently stepped in for the injured Aaron Rome (concussion) on Vancouver's third defensive pairing.

When goaltender Andrew Raycroft signed in Vancouver, it was no secret that he would see very little action behind Roberto Luongo. A short stretch of starts in place of an injured Luongo (fractured ribs) in late October/early November saw Raycroft put together a three-game win streak that included one shutout and only three goals against combined. Unfortunately, there were a couple of poor performances sprinkled on either side of that streak, but then again, no one expected Raycroft to regain his Calder Trophy-winning form from his rookie season -- just ask fans in Toronto.

In seven starts this season, Raycroft is 4-3-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .908 save percentage. He has only started one game since filling in for Bobby Lou, but he could see more action post-Olympic break should Luongo take on the No. 1 role for Team Canada in Vancouver and, as a result, need a break before a Canucks playoff run.

Other notable additions

Defenceman Mathieu Schneider: GP-17, G-2, A-3 ... Signed to a bonus-laden $1.55-million contract ... Was supposed to bring a veteran presence to the blueline while helping the PP, but has instead found himself back on the bus in the AHL after a falling out over playing time before Christmas.

Left-winger Tanner Glass: GP-43, G-4, A-5, PIM-72 ... Signed a two-way, $500,000 deal ... Among the team leaders in penalty minutes, with 10 fighting majors on the season.

Right-winger Sergei Shirokov: GP-6, PTS-0, Minus-4 ... Signed an entry-level, two-way contract ... More of a work in progress, the 23-year old leads the AHL's Manitoba Moose in points with 29 (13 goals, 16 assists) in 40 games.

Calgary  Flames

With roughly $10 million in cap space to play with in the off-season, the Flames spent most of it on the biggest free-agent fish before he could even hit the open market. After acquiring Jay Bouwmeester's rights from the Florida Panthers a few days before he was eligible for unrestricted free agency, the Flames locked up the former third overall pick to a defensive corps that already boasted Robyn Regehr, Dion Phaneuf and Cory Sarich.

Acquired via trade from Florida, signed 5-year deal/$6.68M per
GP	G	A	PTS	+/-
47	2	15	17	10
Extra stat: Leads Flames with 82 blocked shots

While his offensive numbers in the first half of the season don't grab any headlines, the smooth-skating defenceman has been carrying quite the load in his first year with the Flames. Only one other player in the NHL (Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle) has seen more ice time than Bouwmeester, with the Edmonton, AB native eating up regular minutes in every game situation, including special teams with Calgary's eighth-ranked penalty kill. As he has done his entire career, Bouwmeester is on the ice against opposing teams' best players, becoming Calgary's best shutdown defenceman with his plus-10 rating.

To the surprise of many, Calgary's Big 3 on D were left off the men's Canadian Olympic hockey team, but you can be sure Bouwmeester will be atop Steve Yzerman's list should a spot open up on the blueline due to injury. And if it doesn't, a two-and-a-half week break for a defenceman who logs so many minutes isn't a bad thing for the Flames.

Nigel Dawes, a waiver wire pick-up from the Phoenix Coyotes, has been a pleasant addition to the team's second line. While no one expected Dawes to fill the gaping offensive hole left by Michael Cammalleri's departure, the Winnipeg, MB native has chipped in 10 goals so far -- just four shy of his career-high -- and is taking a regular shift on the power play. Good value, considering he only cost the Flames $1.7 million over two years.

The Flames knew exactly what they were getting when they signed Brian McGrattan and the rugged forward hasn't failed to deliver. The enforcer role is nothing new to McGrattan and his 12 fighting majors this season have bumped down Brandon Prust to healthy scratch on some nights. Prust was also an off-season acquisition, although he did play with the Flames the last two seasons before being sent to Phoenix at last year's trade deadline. He is second in the NHL with 15 fighting majors this year, but has found himself as the odd man out when all other bodies are healthy.

Other notable additions

Right-winger Fredrik Sjostrom: GP-41, G-1, A-5 ... Signed for two years, $1.5 million ... Was brought in for his two-way play, but has found himself in the press box as a healthy scratch.

Defenceman Staffan Kronwall: GP-11, G-1, A-2 ... Signed a two-year, $1-million deal ... The eighth d-man on the team's depth chart, was assigned to Abbotsford of the AHL to make room on the 23-man roster.

Edmonton  Oilers

After spending a large chunk of the summer trying to convince Dany Heatley to accept a trade to Edmonton, the Oilers were a bit handcuffed in the player movement department. The additions they did make have yet to pay any dividends.

But it would be unfair to rate Edmonton's off-season moves when the team's two biggest acquisitions have played a combined total of 34 games. Nikolai Khabibulin and Mike Comrie -- a pair of free-agent signings -- were brought in to add a veteran presence to the locker room, but have instead watched the team's season crumble from the pressbox.

UFA signing, 4 years, $15 million
W	L	OT	GAA	SV%
7	9	2	3.03	.909
Extra stat: Faced 30-plus shots in 14 of 18 games

While some might argue that signing a 36-year-old goaltender comes with a higher risk of injury, Khabibulin hadn't played fewer than 42 games over his last seven seasons. Some back problems did surface during his time in Chicago, but the Bulin Wall was able to shake off those issues -- along with some inconsistent play -- to eventually win over the No. 1 job and back-stop the Blackhawks to a deep playoff run last season. And with Edmonton losing starting goalie Dwayne Roloson in the free agent market, Khabibulin was the best option available.

A slow start to the season did raise some concerns on whether the Oilers spent the $15 million (over four years) wisely, but the Russian goaltender was rounding into form before his back issues re-surfaced in November. The overall team results might not suggest as much, as Khabibulin won only once in his final seven starts, but he was facing nearly 40 shots on some nights over that stretch. His individual numbers won't go down among his best, with a goals-against average over three (3.03) for just the second time in the last 12 years, but only Khabibulin knows how much of that is a result of his back problems. And with Wednesday's announcement that the now 37-year old will miss the remainder of the season following surgery to repair a herniated disc, the verdict is still out on how good a signing he actually was.

Comrie, a local boy who quickly became a fan favourite during his first stint in Edmonton, returned to the franchise that drafted him in hopes of revitalizing his career. After showing flashes of offensive potential with the Oilers the first time around, he failed to build on that success during stops in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Long Island and Ottawa.

A return home seemed to have sparked the 29-year-old center who opened the season with points in six of his first seven games. Comrie was then hit hard by a flu bug that infected half of the Oilers locker room, and before he could fully recover, he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. There have been a few Comrie-on-skates sightings recently, but even a return in the near future would be too late to salvage an injury-plagued season for the Oilers.

The Taylor Hall watch is on.

Other notable additions

Centre Ryan Stone: GP-27, A-6, PIM-48 ... Actually acquired via trade in January of 2009, but didn't play with the Oilers until this season ... had only played in eight NHL games with the Penguins over the last two seasons and is still searching for his first career goal.

Be sure to come back Wednesday for an assessment of the new additions for Eastern-based teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.