VANCOUVER – More than five years after he was fired as the ninth (and youngest) general manager in Canucks history, Dave Nonis is back home in B. [url=http://www.airmaxgoedkooponline.nl/]Air Max Nederland[/url] .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouve

VANCOUVER – More than five years after he was fired as the ninth (and youngest) general manager in Canucks history, Dave Nonis is back home in B. Air Max Nederland .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. He had not been hired by new ownership, didnt align with their philosophies ultimately and paid the price for it. But did the man who helped construct a future Stanley Cup finalist, someone who pulled the trigger on a franchise-altering swap for Roberto Luongo, get a fair shake in Vancouver? "I dont think you can do that," said Nonis with no hint of bitterness amid a conversation with the Leaf Report on Friday afternoon. "Whether thats the case or not, I look back and say that the pieces that we left in place were very important pieces to the success of the team. If you look at how they did for a long period after we were there they were very successful. So you take some pride in that. In terms of not getting a fair shake, I think theres a lot of people in our business that can say that. For me, Id rather look at what we left and how well they performed." Nonis was promoted to the top job with the Canucks in 2004 – he was 37 at the time – replacing boss and close friend Brian Burke for the first time. Building on the foundations he and Burke had already worked to establish in years prior, Nonis would draft future All-Star Alex Edler and future No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider. He would hire future Jack Adams winner Alain Vigneault. Hed add Willie Mitchell via free agency, a looming mainstay on the blue-line. He would sign the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler and Sami Salo to respectable, cap-friendly deals. And most notable of all, he would complete one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history, snatching Luongo from Florida. "I think that we felt we were going in the right direction," the Burnaby, B.C. native said. Though they would fall just shy of the playoffs in his first season – he was actually promoted prior to the 2004-05 lockout – the Canucks would shatter franchise records the next year, totaling 49 wins and 105 points. They were ousted in the second round by the eventual Cup champion Ducks, a squad led by current Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, but were clearly moving in the right direction. Year No. 3 though brought with it much frustration for Nonis and the Vancouver faithful. Ravaged by injuries, most notably on defence, the Canucks would limp to the finish line and miss out on the postseason by three points for the second time in three seasons. Rather than salvage the season (and ultimately his job) with short-term fixes via trade, Nonis declined, refusing to mortgage the foundations of what would be a prized future. It is believed that a trade for then-Lightning star Brad Richards was there to be had, a deal that would have cost Vancouver an embarrassment of young riches, Schneider prominently among them. Nonis refused to comment on the matter, but its evident from history that he declined, unwilling to hurt the teams future for the sake of his own job. "If you wouldve moved pieces, good young pieces, just to try and squeak in, that team never wouldve had a chance to win," he said. "If your ultimate goal is to try to win you have to be able to be patient and not have knee-jerk reactions to problems." Nonis would be fired for his efforts nine days after the season concluded. Springing for a leader of his own choosing, new owner Francesco Aquilini would select Mike Gillis nine days after his predecessor had been let go. Just as he predicted in the hours after his firing, the Canucks would go on to great things in the years that followed. They would finish with 100-plus points in four straight seasons after his dismissal, reaching the Cup Final in 2011. "The pieces that were there were young and stable and improving and then if things went well they would have a chance and thats how it played out," Nonis said. Now holding his second general manager gig in Toronto – he signed a new five-year deal in the summer at the urging of MLSE President Tim Leiweke – Nonis says the experience in Vancouver, which began in 1990, ultimately proved beneficial. "Youre never going to make all the right decisions – I definitely didnt make all the right ones when I was in Vancouver," he said. "But I think you learn [that] if you think youre going in the right direction, that the blueprint you have in place makes sense, then you have to have the will to follow it through. I believe thats the case for all teams that are competitive. Very few teams that are competitive in our league just fall on the GMs lap." Struck by the patience of his first boss with the Canucks, Pat Quinn, Nonis would glean additional tips of the trade from those around him in the ensuing years – "theres a lot of people in this league that are very good at what they do and have done a better job than Ive ever done" – including Burke during stints in Anaheim and Toronto. He would take note of what others around the league had done, how contenders in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and St. Louis were built. He saw how theyd establish a foundation of core players and then allow that core to grow and eventually win together. "You can count a lot of Stanley Cups on those teams," Nonis said. Though the Leafs have the early blocks of such a core – after trades for Phaneuf, Kessel, van Riemsdyk, Lupul, Bernier and Gardiner as well as the drafting of Kadri and Rielly among others – the team has not yet reached Noniss preferred destination. What he wants is continued progress in a positive direction, with his Leafs leading the Eastern Conference entering a Saturday affair with the Canucks. "We think its going the right way," said Nonis, at the helm when the club snapped a nine-year playoff drought last spring. "Were not where we need to be, but were a lot better than we were. The reserve list is stronger than it was. Our farm team is younger and still remaining competitive. Theres a lot of good things happening, but theres still a lot of room for improvement. I dont think we could stand up and said that were close to done. We have a lot of work yet to do and if we want to get to be one of those elite teams. I wouldnt say were a long way away, but we definitely need to continue to improve and add the pieces that those upper-echelon teams have." The early returns from his first offseason as Leafs general manager have been positive, most notably in the performance of 27-year-old Dave Bolland and 25-year-old Jonathan Bernier, both acquired via trade this past summer. David Clarkson, Noniss pricey first free agent signing, has played just four games – after serving a 10-game suspension – but has offered hints of the edge and personality he promised to bring after years in New Jersey. For whatever success the Leafs achieve this season you can be sure that Nonis will not attempt to fast-forward the process with short-sighted, short-term fixes. Its why hes not inclined to move first round picks or young players for aging talent. His blueprint features a young core that will take steps together, progressing as the Canucks eventually did after his dismissal. "If youre a deep enough team you can trade away a top prospect and not even feel it then youve done a really good job of building your reserve list and your farm system and you can move those prospects for pieces that might put you over the top," said Nonis. "Were not there yet. We need to continue to add those pieces so I wouldnt say we would never move a first round pick or a young player, but if we do at least at this stage of our development itll be for another young player; its not going to be for an older player." Nonis will enter Rogers Arena on Saturday afternoon full of pride, both for what was eventually accomplished in Vancouver and the promise on the horizon in Toronto. "Progress is the most important word," Nonis said. "If you continue to show progress year after year eventually youre going to put yourself in a pretty good position." Nike Air Max Goedkoop Ideal .J. - The New York Jets have signed former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell, giving them some added depth at the position. Air Max Online Bestellen . Huntington doesnt want to help run the club unless Hurdle is in the dugout. The combination thats returned the franchise to respectability will remain intact for years to come. http://www.airmaxgoedkooponline.nl/ . The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5. Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks.WASHINGTON - Dustin Tokarski gets the start in goal for the Montreal Canadiens tonight as they look for a second straight win to start the season against the Washington Capitals. For the Caps, new head coach Barry Trotz is making his debut behind the Washington bench. You can listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 beginning with the pre-game show at 5:30pm et. The Canadiens are beginning the season on a four-game road trip and were able to pick up a win in Wednesdays opener in Toronto. Tomas Plekanec had two goals, including the game-winner off a defensemans skate with 42.9 seconds remaining that gave the Habs a 4-3 win over the rival Maple Leafs. We played the game that we wanted to in the offensive zone, and were happy about the win, said Plekanec. Obviously, it was the first game of the season in Toronto. Were happy we were able to come away with the two points. Montreal, which lost to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, snapped a four-year losing streak to the Maple Leafs in season-openers. P.A. Parenteau notched two assists in his Montreal debut after coming over from Colorado during the offseason in exchange for fellow forward Danny Briere. Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban each posted a goal in the victory and Alexei Emelin also chipped in two assists. Carey Price stopped 24 shots for the win, but will get Thursday night off as backup Tokarski gets his first start of the season. Tokarski took over the reins for Price in last years conference finals when Price went down with a season-ending knee injury and did a superb job of keeping Montreal in the series even if New York went on to win the set in six games. Tokarski was a surprise replacement for Price in the playoffs since it was Peter Budaj who was listed as No. 2 on the depth chart at the time of the injury. Budaj saw action in 24 regular season games in 2013-14 compared to only three appearances for the 25-year-old Tokarski. However, Montreal traded Budaj to Winnipeg before the start of the season, clearing the way for Tokarski to take over the backup role. The Canadiens are making one line-up change for tonight, adding Travis Moen in place of Dale Weise. After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and by just three points, the Capitals shook things up again by not renewing the contract of general manager George McPhee and firing head coach Adam Oates. It wasnt a total makeoover as Washington stayed within to replace McPhee by promoting Brian MacLellan from his assistant general manager role, while Oates was canned after two seasons and replaced with the respected Trotz. Nike Air Max Goedkoop Bestellen. The Capitals are banking that Trotz is finally the defensive mind that the franchise needs and scooped him up after his 15-year run as coach of the Nashville Predators came to an end. Defense and Trotz went hand-and-hand in Nashville as the club always seemed to find a way into the playoffs despite missing the kind of explosive offense that fuels the Capitals. It will be interesting to see how Trotz handles a player like Alexander Ovechkin, an offensive talent that has won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the leagues leading goal scorer four times but finished last season at minus-35, third-worst in the league. Washington has seemingly struggled for season after season trying to improve its defense and only had a goal differential of minus-5 last season, but that meant little after the club just missed out on a playoff spot. The Capitals defensive group saw the addition of one of the top free agent blueliners of this past offseason, Matt Niskanen, who signed with Washington for seven years and $40.25 million. MacLellan also gave Trotz a gritty veteran piece at the blue line in Brooks Orpik, who should have a tough time living up to his five-year, $27.5 million deal. While Niskanen and Orpik will debut tonight for the Caps, fellow defenseman Mike Green expects to be a game-time decision for Washington due to an upper- body injury. Braden Holtby expects to get the start in net tonight and the 25-year-old goaltender could be one of the biggest benefactors of the coaching change. Holtby struggled when Oates had him change his positioning and game plan between the pipes and that led to his goals against average rising from 2.58 the previous season to 2.85 in 2013-14. Holtby went 2-0 in two games against the Canadiens last season and is 5-0 with a 0.98 GAA in five career outings versus Montreal. The Caps won two of three against Montreal last season and have taken four of five and 10 of the past 12 meetings. The Canadiens have dropped eight of their last 12 games in D.C. The Canadiens will continue their season-opening trek Saturday in Philadelphia before closing the swing Monday in Tampa. Montreal will play its first home game next Thursday against the Boston Bruins. 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