As soon as next season, not only is it a legitimate possibility that this will be the worst era ever as a Canucks fan... it also has a legitimate possibility to be the worst team in the NHL during the Benning-leadership era.
I'm as big a Benning hater as the next guy, but that first part just isn't true. We were a sub .500 team for
15 straight years from 1977 to '91. Points were in the 50s and 60s ten of those 15.
It gets glossed over, because we actually made the playoffs in 9 of those 15 seasons, due to stupid divisional systems and Oprah-like 'You make the playoffs, you make them, everyone (16/21) make the playoffs!'. Several of those seasons we were the 4th or 5th worst team in the league, yet still in the playoffs.
It's why we paid such a high price to recruit Pat Quinn, despite superficial success of making the playoffs, it was clear to ownership we were in deep trouble, and were never going to leave that mediocrity.
That's also why it's so stupid that Benning and Co have this silly 'make the playoffs one year and everything will be hunky dory' attitude. It shouldn't change a thing in regards to Benning's evaluation, which should come up "Very Poor" regardless.