Daniel began his professional career in the Swedish Elite League with Modo Hockey in 1997 and was co-recipient, with Henrik, of the 1999 Golden Puck as Swedish player of the year. He played four seasons with Modo (including a return in 2004–05 due to the NHL lockout), helping the club to two consecutive appearances in the Le Mat Trophy Finals, in 1999 and 2000, where they lost both times. Selected second overall by the Canucks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Daniel moved to the NHL in the 2000–01 season. He has spent his entire NHL career in Vancouver; after emerging as a top player in the club during the 2005–06 season, he has since recorded six consecutive campaigns of at least 20 goals and 70 points. In 2011, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading point-scorer and the Ted Lindsay Award as the best player in the league. Daniel was also nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player.
Internationally, Daniel has competed for the Swedish national team. In addition to being a two-time Winter Olympian, he has appeared in two European Junior Championships, two World Junior Championships and four World Championships. He won a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, and bronze medals at the 1999 and 2001 World Championships.
