I totally agree, any episode without Dawson can't be NONAC worthy. Especially because my choice for the canon, Castaways (the one where Joey and Pacey get locked in the walmart) is particularly awesome simply because there's no Dawson.
For the NONAC...does anyone remember when Busy Philips drunkenly crashed her car through (I believe) Dawson's house? I feel like that one was super awful. Or any episode with Natasha. Or when Eve was Jen's sister for a half second.