Nonis replaced Brian Burke as the Vancouver Canucks' general manager in 2004. At 37 years old, he was the youngest general manager in team history. Prior to being GM for the Canucks, he spent six years working closely with Burke as senior vice-president and director of hockey operations for the franchise. In three seasons as general manager, his most significant transaction was trading for superstar goaltender Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers at the conclusion of his first season as GM.