Does Jim Benning get a contract extension --- YES/NO

[0din]

The owners haven't fired him for a few reasons.

Someone will need to be blamed, a scape goat, for destroying the team for a decade and firing him will renew fan confidence for improvement.

The owners didn't want to be paying for 3 GM's and presidents all at the same time.
Gillis - Linden/Benning and the new hire.

So the contract will just not be renewed, either will Linden's although Linden will have the media on his side saying they didn't give him a chance to "right" the ship so he will retain his reputation.

Benning will go on to some other organization as a scout or something.

It may all be moot anyway as after looking at many of the recent contracts signed by other teams it appears they are getting ready for some kind of labour problem in 2020, more will be known at the end of next season when both sides indicated their choice to terminate the agreement or not, I expect the NHL will not this time hoping to curry favour with the fans but hen again being the first does give some perceived power.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

I'm genuinely questioning the sanity of several people in this thread.

 

[Peter10]

The owners didn't want to be paying for 3 GM's and presidents all at the same time.
Gillis - Linden/Benning and the new hire.

I think Gillis/Gilman/Henning just came off the books this summer. Bennings deal is running till 2019.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

People who are pro-Benning in this thread. Did you guys start watching hockey this off-season?

 

[tyhee]

The funny thing is, if he dident **** up the virtanen and juolevi picks, I would honestly want him back

I can't want a GM:

-that can't be trusted with cap space available
-who can even consider signing a forward in his 30's with a history of health issues who has just had his best season in several to a 6 year contract @ $6 million per mostly in bonuses
-who can trade a 2/3 line center with an extremely team-friendly contract together with a defenceman and an upgrade in draft picks for an expensive center who creates lineup problems because he doesn't use his teammates on offence, then extends that center to a more expensive contract with a ntc
-who doesn't realize that his young, just drafted defensive prospect is worth way, way more than Chicago's soon to be waived d-man who is a poor skater
-who could possibly consider the prices he gave Dorsett and Sbisa on their extensions
-whose idea of player development has been to put the new shiny toys in the NHL to show off for the fans and encourage ticket sales
-who needs the league head office to figure out how old a new signing is for the purposes of signing an elc

To me his choices in picking Virtanen over Ehlers/Nylander/Ritchie and Juolevi over what seemed the obvious choice of Tkachuk is far less important to me than other concerns about his judgment.

Otoh, I have little complaint about the job he's done lately. I can appreciate the choices behind this year's draft picks (and that'll be the case even if none of them work out as generally one can see the reasons behind the picks and though I wouldn't have had the nerve to go for the home run by taking Pettersson where he was taken ahead some of the other choices.) Generally I don't mind the recent signings and trades (liked the Burrows trade, didn't mind the Hansen trade, generally like the signings other than Vanek and am concerned about not signing some more AHL depth forwards and thought he overpaid on the Horvat contract, but I don't really have serious issues with Benning since the 2017 trade deadline. Another decision I didn't like was the timing of signing Boeser's elc, but I expect most will disagree on that one. (I thought the next step out of college, especially since it would only be a few games, should be to shore up the Comets, who were in a playoff race.)

If there hadn't been almost three years of history leading up to that point, I'd probably be ok with him keeping his job a while longer and consider what I don't like nitpicking. The decisions before that, though, leave me with a sense of dread every time a new decision is being announced.

 

[Pastor Of Muppets]

Yeah, now we have new dead skin in Eriksson, Gudbranson, Sutter, and to a lesser extent Dorsett and Vanek. But hey, at least it's newer dead skin. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a rebuilding team (well, not really anymore...?) being a cap team, right?!?

Eriksson we're stuck with...Sutters NTC ends in two seasons,as does Derek Dorsetts contract..By that time,Petterson and with a bit of luck,Gaudette will be ready to take over..

 

[Hit the post]

Eriksson we're stuck with...Sutters NTC ends in two seasons,as does Derek Dorsetts contract..By that time,Petterson and with a bit of luck,Gaudette will be ready to take over..

Problem is, he was the person handing out those NTCs/crap contracts to begin with. There's nothing to suggest to won't just simply replace one expired 'NTC' with another.

 

[PG Canuck]

Eriksson we're stuck with...Sutters NTC ends in two seasons,as does Derek Dorsetts contract..By that time,Petterson and with a bit of luck,Gaudette will be ready to take over..

So that makes it....ok?

 

[y2kcanucks]

Eriksson we're stuck with...Sutters NTC ends in two seasons,as does Derek Dorsetts contract..By that time,Petterson and with a bit of luck,Gaudette will be ready to take over..

So Benning creating that mess is okay because eventually at some point those players will be off the team? Uh....

I guess it's okay that Gillis screwed up our goaltending situation because at some point Luongo and Schneider will be retired and we wouldn't have them anyway. Based on your logic at least.

 

[CloutierForVezina]

Wellwood? Baertschi has outscored his highest point totals as a Canuck in less games in the last 2 seasons.

Wellwood had 3 seasons in his career between 40-50p. At this point, that would be a tremendous outcome for Baertschi.

Baertschi is buttery soft whereas Nik Ehlers is some fearsome behemoth.

You're allowed to be buttery soft when you put up great numbers.

Baertschi puts up mediocre, lower end 2nd line or higher end 3rd line production. When he's not scoring, he's useless. And he's often not scoring.

"Already 24."

Forwards generally stop improving after a certain age. He's at the age where it's pretty much what you see is what you get. I don't have much hope for any tremendous growth in his game over the next few years.

 

[timw33]

He's not as bad as you all make him out to be. There's alot of hyperbole and overreaction on hf

Mmm not this time. He's down there with the likes of Ken Holland and Joe Sakic right now.

 

[Kickassguy]

Swinging and missing on two fifth overall picks in Virtanen and Juolevi (still TBD but there were obviously better players available) on a rebuilding team is fireable offense, in and of itself.

Everything else is just noise.

 

[0din]

Well he has lots of prospects now, 13 to 8 worth of them.

Vegas, Vegas, 9 goals? 3 from a kid they got for nothing? And our *(^)%^)&( thins everything is REEAAALLL GGUUUUUUUUD. And he is happy?

Linden must agree so just can them both by the TDL and get some one with experience and gohanas to make some deals for what this team needs right now, the Sedin replacements, the next great need might be a goalie, might be, but for sure this team needs a #1 line, IMO, Horvat and Boeser make a tremendously good 2nd line, that is what is needed to be even close to successful in the playoffs.

 

[Zaddy91]

I don't think he will, nor should he. I voted no. But honestly it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

If that happens I'll probably completely turn in my Canucks fan card. There would be absolutely nothing to support with this team.

lol.

 

[Shareefruck]

More Baertschi hate-- It's truly mind-boggling to me.

Baertschi is no longer a one-dimensional player who needs to score to be effective or "not useless". He's one of our smarter and more reliable two-way forwards, is probably our best forward in transition/in the middle of the ice, and has become a guy who for the most part battles hard for loose pucks along the boards and has a knack for coming out on top. Unlike two-thirds of our players, he also provides support for his linemates and works well with others.

He's grittier and stronger defensively than a guy like Brandon Sutter, easily, yet people treat him like he's Jordan Schroeder.

 

[oyvey]

2 years left on Benning's contract per Ryan Biech (Canucks Army):

https://twitter.com/ryanbiech/status/906732693529882625

I'm actually glad it's two years instead of one. In this case, I doubt Benning gets an extension. If the team misses the playoffs this season and next (very likely), firing Benning is a no-brainer.

We hear about Aquilini wanting to push back on his reputation for meddling, but I doubt he's been anything less than furious over what's happened to his business under Benning. If Benning's contract expired this season, and there were a few positive storylines and an exciting lottery pick coming, Aquilini might be forced to let Linden re-up him for a couple years. PR reaction would be at least 50/50. But after two more seasons without playoffs (almost certain), Aquilini can safely make the change without being charged with being impatient.

(This all assuming the Canucks don't have a policy against allowing upper management to become lame ducks.)

 

[Ace of Hades]

No: One can only hope.

More Baertschi hate-- It's truly mind-boggling to me.

Baertschi is no longer a one-dimensional player who needs to score to be effective or "not useless". He's one of our smarter and more reliable two-way forwards, is probably our best forward in transition/in the middle of the ice, and has become a guy who for the most part battles hard for loose pucks along the boards and has a knack for coming out on top. Unlike two-thirds of our players, he also provides support for his linemates and works well with others.

He's grittier and stronger defensively than a guy like Brandon Sutter, easily, yet people treat him like he's Jordan Schroeder.

Preach. Baertschi is unfortunately treated like **** here, and the criticism for him makes no sense given he's not the type of player the critics describe him as.

 

[Vancouver_2010]

He is costing his boss at least two non-playoff season now, and most likely heading to three. Why would a boss continued to hire such an incompetent GM?