Upon arriving in Vancouver, Cloutier began sharing starts with veteran goaltender Bob Essensa; the Canucks' third goaltender, Félix Potvin, was traded away to the Los Angeles Kings soon after Cloutier's acquisition. Playing in 16 games with the Canucks to close out the 2000–01 season, Cloutier recorded 4 wins, 6 losses and 5 ties, along with a 2.43 GAA and .894 save percentage. He joined the Canucks at the end of the season, during the playoff drive, when the Canucks barely made the playoffs. It would be their first playoffs in 5 seasons. They were the last placed team at 90 points, tied with the Phoenix Coyotes, who also ended the season with 90 points. However, the Canucks won one more game than the Coyotes (36 vs. 35) thus gaining the last playoff spot.