Fresh off a late-season collapse that saw the team fail to qualify for the playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks fired general manager Dave Nonis on Monday.

The decision to fire Nonis, who was promoted to the post in May 2004, comes after the Canucks finished ninth in the Western Conference and failed to make the post-season for the second time in three years.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis was fired on Monday.
(Sam Leung/Canadian Press)

Nonis, 41, was in the final year of his contract.

"The decision to relieve Dave of his duties was difficult," said Canucks chairman Francesco Aquilini in a statement. "We want to thank Dave for the many contributions he has made helping to build our organization during his tenure. However, I think this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It's not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn't in the playoffs.

"As owners we made a commitment to deliver the kind of hockey our fans deserve. At the same time, with leadership comes responsibility. So, our search begins today for a new general manager, and our focus going forward is on a winning season in 2008-09."

Nonis, who replaced Brian Burke, was the person responsible for bringing all-star goalie Roberto Luongo to Vancouver in a trade that is regarded as one of the most lopsided NHL deals in recent memory.

Under Nonis, the Canucks set a franchise record for points in a season (105) during the 2006-07 campaign when they won the Northwest Division title.

But the team took a step backwards when they finished this season with a 39-33-10 record and three points out of the playoffs.

The Canucks sat in seventh place in the West in February, but Nonis couldn't pull off a significant deal at the trade deadline to bolster his team's struggling offence, and the club struggled for the remainder of the season.