To be honest, anyone arguing too hard in any one direction, pro or anti-Benning, is just grasping. The guy has been at the helm for only four years. In his defense, he inherited a team full of aging veterans with NTCs, lead by two career-Canucks who were absolutely unmovable. In the 6 years prior to him joining the Canucks, Vancouver boasted one of the worst drafting records in all of professional sports. But anti-Benning zealots expected him to rebuild Rome in a day, even though he was the equivalent of a back-up goalie coming in at 5 to 0. On the other hand, pro-Benning posters ignore the mistakes he's made on his pro-scouting and trades, along with a horrible Loui Eriksson contract.
Like most things Canucks-related, those who subscribe to either end of the extremes are wrong. He's somewhere in the middle... He's missed on some draft picks and hit homeruns on others, building up one of the best prospect pools in the NHL. He's fleeced a few teams, on the trade front, and has also been on the losing side a few times. He's brought in some great signings and a few albatroses, as well.
At the end of the day, Benning has been a competent general manager. Nothing to really right home about. But as his draft picks start to make the NHL, we'll see if his vision is really going to work. At this point, it's still too soon to judge. I defend Benning's drafting record because it's one of the feathers in his cap and it peeves me to see the anti-Benning crew ignoring that and proclaiming that "every team has prospects as good as the Canucks". Just swallow your damn pride and admit that he has done a few things right.
But being level-headed and patient is not something most Canucks fans can wrap their head around.
It's obviously sarcasm. The Canucks made the playoffs the year they drafted Boeser and Pettersson was a tremendous pick, even at #5 (it could have been Glass, Rasmussen, Tippett, etc.)