Confirmed with Link: Manny Malhotra hired as Canucks development coach

[JAK]

This thread is hilarious because of the people can be negative about anything.

If Manny being hired leads to better on ice performance, great.
If Manny's 'Risk' according to some posters leads to our team doing worse, great, another good pick next year.

If Manny's hiring does nothing but taking the ownership's money, great.

 

[quat]

Brandon had two years of amateur scouting experience with an NHL team prior to joining the Canucks. If you want to talk about precedents, what was the precedent for player agents to step directly into the GM role before Gillis? Mike Barnett? What was the precedent for an analytics guy to become an assistant GM? What was the precedent for a finance and computer applications major to become a special assistant to the GM then Director of Hockey Operations? There's plenty of precedents of scouts who got their starts basically volunteering their services. Obviously, Brandon has the benefit of his father and his grandfather's expertise in the field. My guess is that he received training in this field with either his father or grandfather before he sought to work as a professional amateur scout.

The scrutiny over the Brandon Benning hire is sickening. The Canucks didn't hire a "security guard" to be an amateur scout. They hired a part-time scout who was serving in the same capacity with the Flames the last two years. The young man is trying to break into the world of scouting while holding a second job as a legal assistant. Did Eric Crawford receive the same scrutiny when he became an assistant coach with the Moose and then pro scout? Did Lou Crawford receive the same scrutiny? What about Brett Henning?

Brandon's grandfather, Elmer, is a long time Habs scout. His former career was firefighting? Plenty of people who didn't have a distinguish hockey career got their start offering their services. Ex Giants' GM Scott Bonner got taught by Elmer, offered to scout the WHL for free at 16, and left Costco to become Director of Scouting for a WHL team at age 20.

Did anyone expect Eric Crawford or Brackett to one day run the draft for the Canucks? These were low level hires to start. Whether you can make it a career is a different story. The Canucks under Gillis have built one of the larger scouting staffs. Other teams have caught up. Brandon is essentially a part-time regional scout who goes to his local WHL team's games. And considering he holds a second job as a legal assistant, my guess is he isn't getting paid all that much.


It did.


His contract was likely year to year and when his contract ended with Calgary he immediately joined the Canucks. Whether he was offered an extension with the Flames or not I don't know.

Discussing whether nepotism had anything to do with hiring a person with little experience for a job is "sickening"? That's a head scratcher for sure.

 

[F A N]

Discussing whether nepotism had anything to do with hiring a person with little experience for a job is "sickening"? That's a head scratcher for sure.

Did you follow the discussion? It was in the context of responding to a poster who defended against the charge of being a hypocrite.

Quite frankly, if Brandon's last name wasn't Benning, he would have received little to no scrutiny at all. In fact, he received little to no scrutiny from most Canucks fans at the time of his hire. Historically, we know very little about most scout's background or previous job performance as a scout. When a former player gets hired as a scout nobody really scrutinizes the hire. And as I outlined in my last post, there was little to no scrutiny over the hiring of the two Crawfords or Brackett. Basically it's the Canucks adding a scout and that's it. It was the same for Brandon for most posters.

The point is that Brandon was a part time hire. He is the son of long time scout Jim and grandson of long time Habs scout Elmer. He served two years as a part time scout for the Calgary Flames. He is hired for the same role. Perhaps it was Weisbrod who hired him in Calgary and Brandon followed his former boss over. The Canucks have one of the larger scouting staffs in the league with a staff of over 20 not including Benning and Weisbrod. There are like 20+ guys who likely have more seniority and influence over Brandon. Brandon holds a second job as a legal assistant. You seriously thing the hiring of Brandon Benning is a problem and only got the job not only because he's Benning's son but Benning's authority alone?

 

[JAK]

We have over 20 scouts, yet we draft like crap.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

We have over 20 scouts, yet we draft like crap.

Uh... our drafting has been leaps and bounds ahead of where it was two years ago. Nonetheless, this has little to do with Manny. He'll help develop talent, not draft it.

 

[quat]

Did you follow the discussion? It was in the context of responding to a poster who defended against the charge of being a hypocrite.

Quite frankly, if Brandon's last name wasn't Benning, he would have received little to no scrutiny at all. In fact, he received little to no scrutiny from most Canucks fans at the time of his hire. Historically, we know very little about most scout's background or previous job performance as a scout. When a former player gets hired as a scout nobody really scrutinizes the hire. And as I outlined in my last post, there was little to no scrutiny over the hiring of the two Crawfords or Brackett. Basically it's the Canucks adding a scout and that's it. It was the same for Brandon for most posters.

The point is that Brandon was a part time hire. He is the son of long time scout Jim and grandson of long time Habs scout Elmer. He served two years as a part time scout for the Calgary Flames. He is hired for the same role. Perhaps it was Weisbrod who hired him in Calgary and Brandon followed his former boss over. The Canucks have one of the larger scouting staffs in the league with a staff of over 20 not including Benning and Weisbrod. There are like 20+ guys who likely have more seniority and influence over Brandon. Brandon holds a second job as a legal assistant. You seriously thing the hiring of Brandon Benning is a problem and only got the job not only because he's Benning's son but Benning's authority alone?

Yeah, I did read the context. That still doesn't come close to earning the label "sickening". A little perspective goes a long way here.

Some want to down play the hire and say there's nothing unusual about it, while others point out that it's likely been influenced by a relationship with the GM given an apparent dearth of experience. There's nothing "sickening" about the disagreement.

 

[Hit the post]

Uh... our drafting has been leaps and bounds ahead of where it was two years ago.

uh it just APPEARS that way right now.

Until any of them actually become decent NHL regulars - they might end up in the Cody Hodgson category of 'wasted talent'.

 

[MS]

Uh... our drafting has been leaps and bounds ahead of where it was two years ago. Nonetheless, this has little to do with Manny. He'll help develop talent, not draft it.

Uh, outside of our #1 picks - and EVERYONE thinks their #1 picks are awesome 1-2 years after their draft - our last two drafts look pretty awful.

Part of this, of course, is Benning's tendency to give away picks to other teams like candy, but there is precious little evidence that we're now some kind of good drafting team. And certainly not relative to the very good drafts we had in 2012-13 to close out the old regime.

 

[timw33]

Uh, outside of our #1 picks - and EVERYONE thinks their #1 picks are awesome 1-2 years after their draft - our last two drafts look pretty awful.

Part of this, of course, is Benning's tendency to give away picks to other teams like candy, but there is precious little evidence that we're now some kind of good drafting team. And certainly not relative to the very good drafts we had in 2012-13 to close out the old regime.

I remember when Sauve was our Tryamkin, Froshaug was our "Gradin pick must be good", etc.

 

[The Stig]

We have over 20 scouts, yet we draft like crap.

Oh ya? Them Boeser and Demko are a bunch of scrubs.

 

[Mofletz]

We have over 20 scouts, yet we draft like crap.

Remember the Cole Cassels hype. It was insane after he "shutdown" Mcdavid.

 

[I am toxic]

Not to derail the thread (altho the article does mention Boeser in passing), but from Today's Slapshot:

And what’s more, Manny Malhotra is exactly the kind of player that the younger generation of Canucks — from Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen, to future stars like Brock Boeser and beyond — can learn the fundamentals and intangible elements of success from. Because it takes something special for a player to register with a city in just two scant years to the level that Manny did. It takes someone special.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

I was wondering too, but it's in the article

My Brother said he ran into Malhotra near Mount Seymour a while back. Wonderful guy.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Great hire


I'd like to see what anyone knows about the other hires too.


Bryan Mashall - Strength and development coach

Graeme Poole - Rehab Therapist

Dr. Jim Bovard - Team primary care physician (What about Dr. Rick Celebrini?)

Ryan Johnson - Promoted to Director of player development

Stan Smyl - Promoted to Senior advisor to the GM & director of Collegiate scouting (How does this impact our scouting department?)

Toby Blosser - Hired by Comets as Head athletic therapist

Marshall is an ex-champion weightlifter who worked for the Toronto Marlies a couple years ago (when they were goon team).

Poole is a Physio who I think also is Physio for the Whitecaps.

Don't know on the doctors.

Blooser looks like he also works with the Saginaw Spirit and worked at Sarginaw Valley University as a prof and on their sports teams.
Johnson, of course, ex Canuck also good on face-offs and special teams.

 

[Hit the post]

I remember when Sauve was our Tryamkin, Froshaug was our "Gradin pick must be good", etc.

Gradin looked like a genius only because he's had people like Delorme around him.

Heck, one can *almost* make an argument Torts would look good in comparison to Willie.

 

[Zombotron]

Manny cites Craig MacTavish as an early mentor. I was a bit surprised, though as it turns out, there was one season of overlap between the two (MacT spent 97-98 and 98-99 as an assistant coach with NYR, the latter of which coincided with Manny's rookie season)

 

[LeftCoast]

I like the Malhotra hire, but I think the bigger hire was Doug Jarvis. The guy has 4 Stanley cups as a player and another as an assistant coach. He played almost 1000 games in the league, with much of his career on one of the all time dynasty teams with the likes of Guy Lafleur, Pete Mahovalich, Steve Shutt, Yvan Cournoyer, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Ken Dryden, etc. I can just imagine him scratching his head at Uncle Willie's bench management.

 

[Nick Lang]

Yeah, I did read the context. That still doesn't come close to earning the label "sickening". A little perspective goes a long way here.

Some want to down play the hire and say there's nothing unusual about it, while others point out that it's likely been influenced by a relationship with the GM given an apparent dearth of experience. There's nothing "sickening" about the disagreement.

Sickening, brutal, almost incomprehensible. Call it whatever, I think he is totally correct, and the argument stands on its own.

 

[Disappointed EP40]

Uh... our drafting has been leaps and bounds ahead of where it was two years ago. Nonetheless, this has little to do with Manny. He'll help develop talent, not draft it.

This is an unsubstantiated claim that needs to stop being tossed around here.

There's nothing to show Benning is good at drafting at this point, nor that we have progressed in 'leaps and bounds'.

There's nothing to show that anything other than draft position has been the difference between this regime and the previous. (At this time.) Also not to mention that taking Virtanen over Elhers and Nylander was against the grain, on even this board, and both have trended better.

Some of our late round picks have been poor as well. (From the moment they were selected they were doomed even by armchair scouts on here.)

Then lastly throw in the fact they have traded away players like McCann and Forsling and traded for guys like Vey, I don't see scouting as good whatsoever.

So, let's not continue on with this idea.

----


As for Malhotra coming on in this role. His reputation of being a leader for his ability to communicate and his holistic understanding of the game is good enough reason for this pretty basic position.

Throw in the fact he's able to literally school the players on face-offs, not being far removed from playing, it's a great pick-up.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I like the Malhotra hire, but I think the bigger hire was Doug Jarvis. The guy has 4 Stanley cups as a player and another as an assistant coach. He played almost 1000 games in the league, with much of his career on one of the all time dynasty teams with the likes of Guy Lafleur, Pete Mahovalich, Steve Shutt, Yvan Cournoyer, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey, Ken Dryden, etc. I can just imagine him scratching his head at Uncle Willie's bench management.

agreed. and beyond the fact that doug jarvis is one of those vital links to the storied habs culture that turns talented young teams into consistent contenders and cup champs, even just as a player everything we love about malhotra jarvis was a better version of: faceoffs, hard work, determination, defensive play, leadership, character.

i expect him to resign by christmas.