During the off-season in May 2001, Daniel underwent surgery for a herniated disc in his lower back, from which he suffered during the 2001 World Championships in Germany. In his second NHL season, Daniel struggled with the lowest goals total of his career, with nine. The campaign included a 25-game stretch without a goal between mid-October and the end of November 2001. With 23 assists, he had 32 points overall. Vancouver finished with the eighth seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive year. Facing the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, they were eliminated in six games. The following season, in 2002–03, Daniel continued his point-scoring pace of the previous two campaigns with 14 goals and 17 assists. Vancouver finished the regular season fourth overall in the West and advanced to the second round for the first time in Daniel's career. He appeared in a career-high 14 playoff games and recorded six points, as the Canucks were defeated in seven games by the Minnesota Wild. Daniel and Henrik were re-signed in the off-season to one-year, US$1.125 million contracts on 29 July 2003.