It was this week in 2004 that the Vancouver Canucks hired Dave Nonis as their GM — a move that would forever change the course of the Canucks.

Hired at 37-years-old on May 7th, 2004, Nonis was the youngest GM in Canucks history having spent the last six years working as senior VP and director of hockey operations for the club.

Nonis’ first trade saw him swap third-round pick with the Dallas Stars using his selection to select defenceman Alex Edler who has spent his whole 14-year career with the Canucks.

And while that went down as one of his biggest deals, it didn’t trump the acquisition of superstar goalie Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers.

Luongo without a doubt was a catalyst for some incredibly successful seasons for Vancouver.

But under Nonis’ tutelage, the Canucks faltered. Vancouver missed the playoffs in two of three seasons with a trip to the second round of the playoffs where they lost to the Anaheim Ducks.

Nonis was fired by the Canucks on April 14th, 2008. He was replaced not long after by Mike Gillis, who held the GM post until 2014.

His draft history was fairly hit or miss. In 2004, he selected Cory Schneider in the first round and Alex Edler in the third, while in 2005 he selected Luc Bourdon in the first round and Mason Raymond in the second. 2006 saw him draft Michael Grabner in the first round, while in 2007 the Canucks missed on all of their draft picks as no players from that draft have played NHL games.

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