There is a lesson to be learned from the departure of Canucks general manager Dave Nonis after his second season of missing the playoffs in the three his team has played.

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Coach Alain Vigneault is still here, but will come under the scrutiny of new boss.

Photograph by : Jeff Vinnick, Getty Images, File

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It's one thing to lose, but quite another to lose in boring fashion. And if there is one thing an owner cannot have, it's watching his customers fail to be entertained, and on many nights this season that was certainly the case, this team often excruciatingly boring even on nights when they won.

And make no mistake, the Aquilini family wants to win the big prize, not lose in the most excruciating way they did many times this season, particularly down the stretch after it appeared a playoff position was almost certain.

When you think about it, the Canucks are the only team in Canada that plays a system that made scoring goals a pretty difficult task, particularly with the woeful quality of forwards Nonis had assembled and placed in the care of now dangling coach Alain Vigneault. While Canucks' managing partner Francesco Aquilini wouldn't address those questions Monday night when reached, it's not advisable to sit on your hands at the trade deadline and watch your team slide out the playoffs, something Nonis knew was possible.

"It was a very difficult decision but I'm not going to answer questions tonight," said Aquilini in confirming the decision to fire his GM. "I'm not going to discuss any of these things now. The team will have a press conference [today] and that's all I am prepared to say."

Aquilini would not answer questions as to whether the search for a replacement has begun or the time frame he expected it would take to name a replacement.

There's also a possibility that Aquilini already has his man lined up and he could be named as early as today.

If, in fact, losing boring was a factor, it would not auger well for Vigneault and/or his staff, but one presumes those decisions would be left up to the new GM.

The Aquilini family was really caught at a crossroads here given this is the first year of their ownership in which they have some money to spend under the cap. If they were going to let Nonis spend it, it made sense to let him see that through for the next three or four years. There was no point in letting him spend the money now, then saddling a new GM a year later with those decisions. This was their year to decide, and they decided they wanted their own man.

There was a lot of panel members' speculation Monday during televised games that former Brian Burke would return to take up his old job and there have certainly been such rumours circulating. But those rumours were checked two weeks ago, when Aquilini responded: "That's certainly not something that I'm involved in."

And why would he be? It was pretty much assumed Burke would be aligned with the ownership group of Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie had they bought the team as was first incorrectly announced before the Aquilini family bought the team from John McCaw.

Given the emotion in that dispute, it would be unlikely Burke could turn around and work for the other side.