The Vancouver Canucks missed the playoffs this season for the second time in three years which spurred speculation roster changes were coming. On Monday, however, the ax fell on general manager Dave Nonis.
Despite the Canucks futility during Nonis’ three-year tenure, this move still seems surprising. The Canucks only narrowly missed the playoffs in 2006 and 2008, and Nonis was generally considered as having done a good job in taking over for former GM Brian Burke.
The Canucks struggled in 2005-06 was due in large part to a lack of strong goaltending and quality defense, as well as the distraction from Todd Bertuzzi’s legal troubles from his on-ice attack on former Colorado Avalanche Steve Moore in 2004.
Nonis had to make some difficult decisions heading into the summer of 2006. In addition to the aforementioned, there was talk that the team had grown tired of head coach Marc Crawford, and with limited cap space he faced the loss of puck-moving defenseman Ed Jovanovski to free agency.
Nonis acted quickly, pulling off the blockbuster deal of the decade by shipping the unhappy Bertuzzi with two players to the Florida Panthers for all-star goalie Roberto Luongo, defenseman Lukas Krajicek and a draft pick, and peddled goalie Dan Cloutier to the LA Kings.
Nonis also moved to improve his team’s defense corps, signing veteran defenseman Willie Mitchell as an unrestricted free agent and re-signing Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo to long-term contracts. Krajicek turned into pleasant surprise having a strong performance in the 2006-07 season.
Two notable forward re-signings were the Sedin Twins, who emerged over the last two seasons as the Canucks offensive leaders.
He also hired Alain Vigneault to replace Crawford as head coach, and under Vigneault the Canucks improved to a franchise record 105 point performance in 2006-07, earning him the Adams trophy as NHL coach of the year.
Nonis also did a good job at the draft table, selecting promising youngsters Cory Schneider, Mason Raymond, Alexander Edler, and Luc Bourdon.
Injuries to several key defensemen and center Brendan Morrisont his season severely hampered the Canucks , as did the decline in production of team captain Markus Naslund,and they slid to an 88 point performance and out of the post-season.
Nonis acknowledged at season’s end that his club needed to bolster their offensive depth, and while he was adamant against trading away his promising youth, suggested the willingness to perhaps trade a defenseman or shopin this summer’s UFA market. for scoring help.
While the Canucks are still a work in progress, it’s clear that Nonis was doing his best to build the team the right way, from the net out. Had the Canucks been healthier this season, odds are they would’ve made the playoffs despite their offensive struggles and Nonis wouldn't have lost his job.
It appears that team ownership has panicked, making Nonis the scapegoat for the club’s step back this season.
Nonis couldn’t be blamed for the lack of cap space available to him over the last two years to bolster his scoring depth when the club’s defensive needs and the retention of the Sedins took priority, and certainly couldn’t be faulted for the rash of injuries that dogged the team throughout the season.
Having proven that he’s capable of making smart trades and free agent signings to address his team’s previously biggest needs, he deserved the opportunity this summer to address the club’s offensive shortfalls.
It’s puzzling why ownership would make this decision, and it’ll be interesting to see who they decide to bring in as Nonis’ replacement.
A rumor in the Toronto Sun this past weekend hinted that former GM Burke was apparently interested in returning to Vancouver, so don’t be surprised if this speculation gains steam in the coming days if ownership doesn’t immediately announce Nonis’ successor.
The Vancouver Goon-Boys should also rid them sleves of their cheap-shot goon-boys like Mattias Ohlund. The Goon-Boys played like a buch of wusses against the Wild after Goon-boy Mattias Ohlund broke Mikka Koivu's leg.
I do believe Koivu scored 2 game winning goals in Vancouver after he got back on the ice. Not too smart?
Although Nonis is not entirely to blame, I remember when Naslund and Bertuzzi were tearing apart the NHL years back, and I used to watch in disgust at the Devils for playing the most boring and ridiculously ugly style of hockey known to man, even though they won. However, to have a disgustingly ugly product to watch, and STILL lose, is a recipe for disaster. The drafts have NOT been productive, and Luc Bourdon has been nothing short of a bust of epic proportions. Although he is still young, he hasn't even solidified himself as a starter on the team yet.
Nonis built the team from the net out when they had there franchise record for points, but they lost due to the fact they had no scoring. You can't have both, and he failed to address that in the offseason.
Changes had to happen, regardless of if they were deserving or not. This was by far the most disguting Hockey I have ever watched as a Vancouver citizen, and I speak for most people of this city as well.
I hope you are kidding about the Hire Messier comment. Mark Messier is easily the most hated player ever to put on a Canucks jersey, and is despised by 99% of the people in this city. That would never happen.
Wonder if this will affect the purported signing of Fabian Brunnstrom?
More importantly, Vancouver feels they need to improve after missing the playoffs. Changing guard is not a bad idea. If this leads to an improved Canucks team and puts them back into the post-season, it will be worth it. Nice to see some sort of movement. Playoffs would be better with Vancouver and their great fans in the playoffs.
1) So Burke wants to leave southern California where there is virtually ZERO pressure. he already has a Cup, and total control. If the rumours that he wants to return to Toronto or even Vancouver are true, then perhaps Brian isn't as smart as he'd like everyone to believe.
2) Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Don Waddell still has a job. Go figure?
It seems Nonis this year was content to rest on his laurels after the Luongo trade. And the result was the Canucks without a consistent offensive threat, relied on Luongo night after night to bail them out.
Nonis's inability to bring in more offense wasn't due to incompetence. it was due to huge contracts to Naslund, Morrison, and Cooke that were signed pre-salary cap. This summer was Nonis's first opportunity in the free-agent market with cap space. he deserved one more year.
i hope that whoever replaces him is brought in quickly. someone needs to take care of the brunnstrom deal and get working on the ufa's.
Read my post again where I never say this move had to happen. Nor did I say Nonis was entirely to blame.
However, I did speak on behalf of most Vancouverites in that this was the most disgustingly ugly Hockey I have seen before. If you disagree then you are probably so young you do not know it any other way.
We haven't had a draft product that has produced anything in years, we have no scoring and an acceptable defence with and amazing goaltender. The only reason Vancouver did anything of consequence last year was because of MVP like play from Luongo. Anyone who thought he was going to steal another playoff spot for us this year was fooling themselves. Vancouver needed a change and this is it, Nonis is gone and Vingualt is soon to follow. Let's stop playing boring #### hockey and get some offence in here. Comeon Brian Burke....
Task # 1, completed/
2. fire that non agressive--non offensive minded guy who calls himself a coach.
3. now lok to Europe and bring in some skaters, some guy who know how to pass pin point and make plays. Then the goals will come.
4. Look for a trade with Calgary, goalie for goalie, plus have them give up their two top players. Ignila and another good forwad. Ten the Cancucks can start re building agian.
How about Ceasar Maniago as a coach> He certainly knows his hockey.
Paul from Westbank
Personally, I think Nonis deserved better. It takes at least three years to put your stamp on a hockey club, to clear out the deadwood and move your players into the organization, and (unless you're a lottery pick team) to start getting returns off your first entry drafts.
Alas, what did Nonis in more than anything is not just that his team missed the playoffs two out of three years, but HOW his club missed the playoffs. In both 2006 and 2008 the Canucks had a spot in the post-season lined up and just collapsed. It's one thing to come up short in a foot race if you're standing, hands on knees, panting, thoroughly spent. It's quite another to trip, stumble and tumble into a heap prior to reaching the finish line.
There are rationalizations and explanations why things turned out as they did -- Luongo distracted by his wife's pregnancy, key injuries at the wrong time -- and, frankly, there's not a lot of blame I can assign to the GM on that front. (Now, losing the Brad Richards sweepstakes to Dallas because he was unwilling to give up Kesler and Edler is a completely different matter!)
In the end, professional hockey's a perception based business. SOMETHING had to change in Vancouver, and something has. Aquilini now has the opportunity to put in his own man. Let's hope the next guy gets more than three seasons.
haha....i just read stosz's comments. Wild fans appear to be the biggest cry babies in the league. i swear i have never read so much BS.
listen stosz - look internally at yur own goon squad. what's your problem, i see you are still sporting jealousy over the loss of the north stars to dallas...ouch too bad no cup for you
in other news...good riddance nonis - i hope whoever comes in, get's rid of some of the swedes - ie naslund and signs some real players
i'm glad nonis is gone.he hasn't done anything after the luongo trade.i hate to say this but naslunds got to go..6 mill is too much for a lack luster performance for 2 years!!!lindens got to stay..he's the only one who can score during shoot outs..we lost 14 games in shoot out the most in any team...hire messier,,wtf...
In two years, when the moves and picks Nonis made come to fruition, don't give credit to the current GM. Come on, Bertuzzi and a pair for Luongo and a hidden gem of a defenseman on the side, actually retaining the only offense he had, trimming some of the fat (Anson Carter comes to mind), and building a strong defensive team, with Toronto-like cap restriction? This was his year to shine in the off-season.
Sure, they'll bring in another GM. Given Ottawa's inevitable early exit, perhaps GM/Coach Murray will be available. Niel Smith is still out there, among other candidates. It matters not who comes in, but what they do. And what they do is simple. Target a UFA star or two (maybe Hossa and Langkow, depending on the latter's status), dump the oldish players who formerly held large contracts (My Rangers love those players), and succeed at hockey.
if D-TRAIN has to pay that much for his mess,how come Bob Costas is geting away with what he's doing.He wears a hairpiece he made out of his dog COCO's hair,that's dishonest and insultive to the k-9,and COCO is a "good boy".
I think it's just a matter of Aquilini wanting to install his own management team. Nonis did a good job considering what Burke left behind and, yes, this was to be the summer when he was able to do a few things-it seems a bit unfair that he has cleaned up this team with an eye to the future and someone else can come in and fill in the blanks. And, yeah, let's keep Linden: he can't play a regular shift all year and scores a few goals at the end of the year, so he's a hero. Time to move on and not waste a roster space on him.
This one suprised me. Some lucky guy will walk into a situation where he has a great young goaltender and some quality defensemen - not a bad situation. Offense will take some time because it is expensive to buy and takes time to develop. I think ownership should have had more patience.
Can't be blamed for salary cap issues? Isn't it the GM's job to manage salary cap issues? Stop signing "b" level players (Cooke) to "a" level contracts, and "a" level players (Luango) to rediculusly large contracts. Then you will not have "cap" issues.
interesting stuff. I don't feel sorry for Nonis ... he is still making a pile of money while looking for another job. I think the key reasons for the move were (1) misseed the playoffs (2) new ownership wanting their own guy (3) not a fire and brimstone leader type - they want a little more aggression.
Things Nonis did right
(1) increased the scouting staff and "reassigned" some of them. When he came aboard the canucks had ... literally ... NO prospects. Between 2000 and 2003 (last four years of Burke) the Canucks drafted exactly 3 full time NHL players ... Bieksa, Kessler, and Umberger. IN the following two years they drafted Edler, Schneider, Bourdon and Raymond - all of whom will be regular NHLers - Hansen likely will be too.
(2) turning Bertuzzi into Luongo ... wow
(3) building a strong defensive corps.
Things he did wrong:
(1) not grabbing any scoring at the deadline - not talking Richards or Hossa because he would have had to give up some of the young talent the canucks were finally starting to accumulate but he could have gotten something ... Prospal springs to mind.
(2) cleaned house a year too late. He stuck with the old guard for the first year after the lockout ... mistake ... should have cleaned house right away and started rebuilding a year earlier. That was when he signed Naslund for example.
so is it a bit unfair to toast him? Sure ... is it a disaster for Vancouver to fire him? nah ... whoever comes in has the table well laid ... some young talent, lots of salary room and apparently a decent scouting staff.
IMO the real challenge the new GM faces is what to do with the Sedins. They are really really good second liners ... but not first liners ... they disappear in the playoffs and in tough times. At the same time their contracts are less than $4 million a piece so they aren't overpaid either.
Finally ... whoever said that they should trade Luongo for Kipprusoff and Iginla gave me an absolute fit of the giggles. what a dreamland that trade idea is.
paulko, you are joking right? Luongo (a flash in the pan) for Kiprosoff? Maybe if you throw the Sundin's in too. Then it might come close to being fair. Come on really.
Good he should be fired. The team has no offensive depth at all and there is no one in the minor system to fill that void. Defensively they have some good players and a good prospect at that position as well (Luc).
But really, take away Luongo and look at this team objectively on paper. In my opinion with an average goalie in the net this team is far and away the worst team in the league. They have to bring in someone willing to make significant changes structurally and offensively to this team. Relying on your goalie night in and night out to outplay the other teams netminder is not a good way to win hockey games.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
