Speculation: Canucks ownership discussion

[Canucks LB]

I think its clear as day that something is seriously wrong is going on behind the scenes.

Benning is a scout, he loves drafting, yet he is trading picks like crazy to make the playoffs.

It makes no logical sense.

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[coldsteel79]

I think its clear as day that something is seriously wrong is going on behind the scenes.

Benning is a scout, he loves drafting, yet he is trading picks like crazy to make the playoffs.

It makes no logical sense.

Of course it does Jims following orders.

 

[VanTampaFan]

Of course it does Jims following orders.

It seems pretty clear to me too. He's following orders and getting his hands on any player aged 23-25 that he can hoping that some of them hit and come into their prime all at the same time...

Ownership is pushing for sure. Otherwise why would he trade all his picks?

 

[FROMSHORETOCHARA]

Bruins fan. Come in peace. A poster earlier today said there were krejci to Canucks rumors in Vancouver media? He has a nmc and minor hip surgery so seems unlikely but didn't know if anyone here had heard anything?

 

[NeoCanuck]

Divorce is expensive.

 

[VanillaCoke]

I don't buy it.
Ownership saying trade all our best pieces doesn't excuse Benning making terrible trades...

What evidence is there that the ownership is actually interjecting, aside from the poor managing. Which I think reflects on the managements lack of skills more than it does the gm is great, it's the owners who are forcing him to be bad....

 

[tantalum]

Jim has been told to make the playoffs. He was hired knowing that mandate. He made the playoffs despite starting a string of questionable moves. He took credit for making the playoffs. He then told the world he improved on that team and the world includes his bosses. He failed to deliver and I think it's foolish to think the mandate would necessarily change because a guy failed to deliver. Do I think ownership should be pressing for playoffs? Likely not but I also understand they have two choices in this: Fire the guy who didn't deliver the agreed upon mandate of give him a final shot to do so.

I do not believe they gave demanded he trade the 5th. I doubt they demanded he take sub-par returns on most trades. They likely have demanded playoffs and it so happens he's spent so many assets on crap that all he has left is the 5th. This is a cap team burying money in the minors...you are damn right the owners expect playoff revenue.

And I honestly believe ownership wants to pocket the expansion money, have a playoff team and sell so the mandate isn't changing. It's up to Benning to execute in the best interests of the organization while icing a competitive team. I don't think he's up for the task.

If Linden and Benning went to ownership and said we are going to rebuild but to do so we will not cap spend so profits will remain satisfactory who knows they might get the go ahead, but I seriously doubt they've even bothered to try to put that business case together.

 

[Nuckles]

Ownership sucks. Management sucks. Coaching sucks. The team sucks. Our prospect pool sucks. But Fin is still pretty cool.

Yes, ownership meddles...a lot, but it's still no excuse for Benning getting terrible value in trades and signing terrible contracts.

 

[y2kcanucks]

I've said from day 1 that I didn't like the Aquilini's as our owners, and I think we're finally seeing why. I've said they would be ok while the team was a cash cow bringing in a lot of revenue, but once the team starts to slump they'll change. I do think they are trying to sell the team, and I think they are demanding the team be competitive so they can get more in a sale.

Mix that in with an incompetent management group and you have a recipe for a team that will be stuck in hell for a long time.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Ownership sucks. Management sucks. Coaching sucks. The team sucks. Our prospect pool sucks. But Fin is still pretty cool.

It's Fin's 15th birthday today apparently.

 

[arttk]

Jim has been told to make the playoffs. He was hired knowing that mandate. He made the playoffs despite starting a string of questionable moves. He took credit for making the playoffs. He then told the world he improved on that team and the world includes his bosses. He failed to deliver and I think it's foolish to think the mandate would necessarily change because a guy failed to deliver. Do I think ownership should be pressing for playoffs? Likely not but I also understand they have two choices in this: Fire the guy who didn't deliver the agreed upon mandate of give him a final shot to do so.

I do not believe they gave demanded he trade the 5th. I doubt they demanded he take sub-par returns on most desks. They likely have demanded playoffs and it so happens he's spent so many assets on crap that all he has left is the 5th. This is a cap team burying money in the minors...you are damn right the owners expect playoff revenue.

And I honestly believe ownership wants to pocket the expansion money, have a playoff team and sell so the mandate isn't changing. It's up to Benning to execute in the best interests of the organization while icing a competitive team. I don't think he's up for the task.

If Linden and Benning went to ownership and said we are going to rebuild but to do so we will not cap spend so profits will remain satisfactory who knows they might get the go ahead, but I seriously doubt they've even bothered to try to put that business case together.

Pretty much this.
Ownership wants playoffs and the team Benning has assemble is ****. At this point there is nothing of value left to trade other than the 5th overall pick.

 

[Bonham]

It'll be interesting to see the numbers for season ticket renewals. The games were looking pretty lean towards the end of last season, and I don't imagine that trend is going to change this year. There's virtually nothing to look forward to on the roster. They are going to have to complete a pretty significant turn around if they expect interest to pick back up. Trading the highest pick we've had in twenty years for a short term fix would turn a lot of people away I'm sure.

I think it's obvious the owner's have their fingerprints all over the team right now. That said, it doesn't excuse Benning's horrific management of the roster over the last two years. Normally in this scenario, we should be looking forward to the future prospects, but somehow the pool has gotten worse. We're a bottom three team, with a bottom ten prospect pool, with only a handful of picks in the upcoming draft and contemplating trading our top five pick. On top of all of that, we're gunning for the playoffs next season...troubling times for a Canuck's fan.

 

[ginner classic]

They either bid max dollars and term on Stamkos or acquire cap dump contracts like Bobby Ryan....I see no other way to compete in the short term without trading the remaining picks and prospects.

They have very badly misjudged this market and its expectations and their top line is going to get clubbed like a baby seal.

 

[RandV]

It seems pretty clear to me too. He's following orders and getting his hands on any player aged 23-25 that he can hoping that some of them hit and come into their prime all at the same time...

Ownership is pushing for sure. Otherwise why would he trade all his picks?

A big reason is a demonstrable inability to negotiate:

Jason Garrison + 7th for 2nd
Kassian + 5th for Prust
Bonino + Clendening + 2nd for Sutter + 3rd
5th (conditional 4th) for Larsen
McCann + 2nd + 4th for Gudbranson + 5th

When pulling a larger trade it's way to easy for the other GM to get an extra pick or a pick upgrade out of him. These effectively cancel out the trades where he sells a player (Bieksa, Lack, McNally) for a pick. Add in his "age gap" acquisitions, and we're way behind.

 

[Boose Brudreau]

Divorce is expensive.

just hire KPMG.....

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Really starting to detest ownership. All dollars, no sense.

 

[mossey3535]

They either bid max dollars and term on Stamkos or acquire cap dump contracts like Bobby Ryan....I see no other way to compete in the short term without trading the remaining picks and prospects.

They have very badly misjudged this market and its expectations and their top line is going to get clubbed like a baby seal.

This is why I don't think ownership is that involved.

First of all, they've already taken a lot of flack in the past for meddling.

Second, an ownership driven move is exactly the kind you suggested. Get splashy pieces. Not fringe guys you hope will hit.

Vrbata was more of an ownership-type move. Keeping Luongo was an ownership move. Guppies like we've been acquiring aren't ownership moves.

I mean, you really think ownership meddled to obtain Gudbranson in exchange for a prospect most in town were high on? It doesn't make sense from that perspective. If we had Gudbranson on the team last year does it really make us playoff contenderS?

Also, the cap mismanagement of this team makes it hard to get either Stamkos OR guys like Ryan who could be obtained via cap dump.

Finally I want to say I don't like the Aquilinis. I would happily take better owners. But they do spend to the cap and over since they've come in, which is not a given in this league. I don't think that should be taken for granted.

 

[Ryp37]

Bruins fan. Come in peace. A poster earlier today said there were krejci to Canucks rumors in Vancouver media? He has a nmc and minor hip surgery so seems unlikely but didn't know if anyone here had heard anything?

Haven't heard a thing about that or it would be posted here


Anyways I wish they would show up at these events where fans can grill them. Not like they'd be honest anyways.

They got to go, the teams gonna keep losing money no matter what they attempt so there's either ulterior motives or they're idiots

It should be noted Linden has gone on record twice saying he and Benning have full autonomy

 

[RandV]

This is why I don't think ownership is that involved.

First of all, they've already taken a lot of flack in the past for meddling.

Second, an ownership driven move is exactly the kind you suggested. Get splashy pieces. Not fringe guys you hope will hit.

Vrbata was more of an ownership-type move. Keeping Luongo was an ownership move. Guppies like we've been acquiring aren't ownership moves.

If anything rather than Vrbata I'd more pin Miller on ownership. Aquilini was wining & dining Miller & wife during the new open week before July 1st, and around that time I had assumed they maybe hashed out the contract amount (3/18) over dinner. But even if Aquilini did do that everything Benning has shown so far is that he would have been right on board with it.

Oh and I haven't liked our ownership since the Nonis firing. Glad he's willing to spend, but that's easy to do when there's a salary cap and you have one of the highest revenues in the league. If he could just make his money and leave the hockey ops to the people in charge things would be fine, but he had to step in and mess with Gillis and now we have Benning.

 

[mossey3535]

If anything rather than Vrbata I'd more pin Miller on ownership. Aquilini was wining & dining Miller & wife during the new open week before July 1st, and around that time I had assumed they maybe hashed out the contract amount (3/18) over dinner. But even if Aquilini did do that everything Benning has shown so far is that he would have been right on board with it.

Oh and I haven't liked our ownership since the Nonis firing. Glad he's willing to spend, but that's easy to do when there's a salary cap and you have one of the highest revenues in the league. If he could just make his money and leave the hockey ops to the people in charge things would be fine, but he had to step in and mess with Gillis and now we have Benning.

Totally agree, I just forgot about Miller. The point is owners don't meddle to get guys like the wrong Granlund, especially when you're trading young guys who are at the very least better marketing opportunities.

Miller is a great example, good on you for bringing it up.

 

[Nick Lang]

Seems like an awful lot of speculation with nothing but conjecture.

 

[Samzilla]

This is why I don't think ownership is that involved.

First of all, they've already taken a lot of flack in the past for meddling.

Second, an ownership driven move is exactly the kind you suggested. Get splashy pieces. Not fringe guys you hope will hit.

Vrbata was more of an ownership-type move. Keeping Luongo was an ownership move. Guppies like we've been acquiring aren't ownership moves.

I mean, you really think ownership meddled to obtain Gudbranson in exchange for a prospect most in town were high on? It doesn't make sense from that perspective. If we had Gudbranson on the team last year does it really make us playoff contenderS?

Also, the cap mismanagement of this team makes it hard to get either Stamkos OR guys like Ryan who could be obtained via cap dump.

Finally I want to say I don't like the Aquilinis. I would happily take better owners. But they do spend to the cap and over since they've come in, which is not a given in this league. I don't think that should be taken for granted.

Agreed. We wanted Gillis gone and got Benning. We wanted AV gone and got Torts/Willie D.

There's absolutely no guarantee new owners will be better, and in all honesty, the way we roll they'd probably be worse. Let's not take everything for granted or before you know it we're the Memphis Canucks.

 

[beachcomber]

To be fair a fresh start in a new town would be good for the franchise. It has never been a fit in Vancouver since day one.

 

[Josepho]

To be fair a fresh start in a new town would be good for the franchise. It has never been a fit in Vancouver since day one.

Why?

 

[vancityluongo]

The owners have to take a lot of blame for hiring these idiots in the first place, much less keeping them around for more than the "miss the playoffs and you're done" that the previous GM's were afforded. However, it's easy to scapegoat the mystery faces/forces instead of admitting that the people hired to run your favorite team are as adept at managing a 800M dollar organization as a group of middle school kids.

Vancouver is not a huge market, the dollar is rebounding but still ****** and I can't imagine ticket/merch sales are doing too well. Yet there's never been any talk of not spending to the cap. Look at teams like Ottawa and the internal cap crunch they face. While it can't get any worse than the current GM, it could get worse than the current owner.