(Elliott) - Jim Benning Firing: It Sounds like its coming

[HockeyWooot]

But I thought Benning was the best GM in Canada? Vancouver fans told me this repeatedly.

Really? Would be a small minority of Vancouver fans, he’s pretty widey hated by the fanbase.

 

[HockeyWooot]

Benning deserves to keep his job if we're looking at how he drafted.

Unfortunately, that is only a fraction of the GM's job and by every other measure he's been pretty bad. This group has zero vision or foresight and pretty much just flies by the seat of their pants on any given offseason.

That caught up with them in a huge way this offseason when they let Markstrom, Tanev, Toffoli and Stecher walk for nothing because they'd signed so many awful vets to bad contracts. Not to mention losing Brackett and Malholtra, who are both thriving in their new orgs.


My fear isn't that firing Benning is a bad decision, it's that the same ownership group that hired him will be appointing the next GM.

Nailed it. Benning is not all bad, but on the balance he’s been much more bad.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

To me, this just isn’t a well built team. Their depth is atrocious how I see it. They are like a 5-6 forward team, 3-4 defensemen. They don’t make enough picks in the draft. Have a pretty weak prospect pool. It’s a team where you feel like if everything goes right they can be good, but it requires everything to go right. Last postseason was an anomaly. Most of the time everything isn’t going to go right. The best teams give themselves some margin for error. Benning has given Vancouver none. Poorly built team with a lot of flaws. They have some pieces that I believe a rebuild isn’t necessary, but it absolutely needs a retool.

 

[hanshin44]

I will pray 10 times a day to the hockey gods if they buy Benning one more season.

 

[crowi]

Mildly surprised how so many people that aren't Van fans don't know at all how Benning tried to pick Glass over Pettersson etc and think he is some drafting genius. Those guys don't trade their picks during top-5 worst seasons for like 4 years.

Benning is a simpleton, meat and taters GM that should've been fired 3-4 years ago.

 

[Grub]

Go Flames Go I guess.

 

[Bounces R Way]

 

[NuxFan09]

When you bring in a foundational player like Brandon Sutter I think you deserve a long leash.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

To ruminate over what could have been is a different story, but not very productive in my opinion. Hoglander is de-facto replacement for Toffoli, even though in some alternative reality world, where Nucks have the cap space to sign him, they could have had a deeper roster than current one.

The point I am trying to make is that on paper the roster changes over the offseason should have *at least* kept the Nucks at the same level if you looks at all the individual comings and goings (Schmidt <-> Tanev, Demko <-> Markstrom, Toffoli <-> Hoglander). One can argue over whatever the reasons for the recent struggles are, one cannot blame the present roster makeup for it, since they did very well with a very similar roster last year.

If Benning thinks this is a similarly skilled roster, then he should definitely be fired. Such a discredit to Tanev, Markstrom, and Stetcher.

Out: Tanev, Markstrom, Toffoli, Leivo, Stetcher

In: Schmidt, Holtby, Hamonic, even with Hoglander

And what happened to all those people going off about how waaaaaaay better Schmidt is than Tanev? It's almost like they never watched Vegas games.

Fun fact: Schmidt has 3 pts on a team that's scored 51 goals thus far. Tanev; the same, but their team has only scored 39. Tanev is also a +5 (when the team's goal differential is around 5 iirc) Tanev has played 13 games. Schmidt 17. YIKES on the group speak on that take.

The same way people are talking about letting Edler go rn. People see a play over 28 and they're suddenly in their downswing and worthless. The comedy I tell ya.

EDIT: I still like the Schmidt pick up. That's good value for the 3rd even if his contract is bloated, but man, I've been saying Tanev would be a massive loss and people seemingly unanimously were "bUt sChMidT" when that whole Vegas team plays and excels by committee.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

Stecher was a trainwreck as anything but a bottom pairing D. In larger role it was a great game followed by an awful one. Nobody should be crying over losing a bottom pair D. Schmidt is a clear upgrade over Tanev.

Replacing Markstrom with Holtby seems to be a clear cut downgrade, but I thought Demko was supposed to become the new #1 anyway. Markstrom->Demko and Demko->Holtby is a slight downgrade and it's only short term I believe. Let's talk about how well Markstrom's 6 year deal is working out in a few years.

Honestly, I think Eriksson and Baertshi contracts (and, to some extent, Roussel and Beagle) are much bigger issues for the Canucks than anything done and not done this offseason. Also Lungo's recapture, but that's not on Benning I do not think.

If stetcher was a "train wreck", two current regulars on the canuck's line up : Juolevi and Chatfield are the shit on the boot of a man riding a nuclear missile into the sun. Stetch was a fine 6 or 7 dman who could play up the line up if needed. Chatfield and Juolevi shouldn't be near the NHL routinely rn.

Stetcher's contributions VS cost is exactly what the team needs and the lack of this awareness is why they are here.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Stecher was a trainwreck as anything but a bottom pairing D. In larger role it was a great game followed by an awful one.

Absolute BS. Stecher had one rough game in the playoffs after Myers got hurt; other than that he was the least permissive Canuck d-man by goals against rate, playing tough minutes.

Stecher is a defensive beast. If you can't see that because he's an inch or two too short you simply cannot evaluate the game of hockey. You're in good company though, Jim Benning and Travis Green are right there with you.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

That's exactly what we would be doing in 6 years with Markströms current contract, I had hopes for this season but I'm fine with it knowing that the bad contracts are coming off when the team will come into it's prime, this team's fans have no patience. Paying for short term results this season would have just bit them in the ass
the same way further down the line, it really boggles my mind that no one can see this.

No one is asking to "pay for short term results". That's exactly what all these bullshit signings have been. Everyone, for years, has been saying to not do this. Benning has been Mr Short Term results. He JUST traded Madden for a handful of games of Toffoli

Don't twist the dissatisfied's narrative to something it isn't. Keeping Tanev and Markstrom is in no way "short term results" as much as it is just not regressing. With our ELCs there's zero excuse for it other than being bad at your job.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

Stecher was a trainwreck as anything but a bottom pairing D. In larger role it was a great game followed by an awful one. Nobody should be crying over losing a bottom pair D. Schmidt is a clear upgrade over Tanev.

please tell me how this is 'clear'.

 

[Isi]

Wasn’t even his worst off-season.

In 2016 Jim Benning traded Jared McCann (recent first rounder) the 33rd pick in the draft for Erik Gudbranson

On draft day he tried to trade Bo Horvat and the 5th overall pick for PK Subban.

Got fined for tampering for talking about Subban, and Stamkos on a radio hit.

Drafted Oli Juolevi over Matthew Tkachuk

Signed Loui Eriksson to a 6 x 6 contract.

Oilers and Leafs fans saying “it’s too early !!!!1” have absolutely no clue how incompetent this man is.

And don't forget, the Panthers, briefly free of Dale Tallon, directly targeted Benning and the Canucks, as detailed by Botchford here:

The Athletties: Goldy's moment, what happened with Edler, a mystery solved and a Gudbranson farewell

It’s a trend that has to change if Vancouver is going to improve significantly. It’s a trend which goes back to May 24, 2016.

This is the day the so-called Computer Boys dialled in on Vancouver, believing they could pry promising young centre Jared McCann from the Canucks.

They had bigger plans too, a blockbuster that threatened to shake up the league. The Computer Boys had a blueprint to sign then-RFA Nikita Kucherov to an offer sheet and Tampa had no clear path to match.

The Panthers wanted to move fast on McCann. Probably because decision-making powers in Florida always seemed in flux back then, The Computer Boys wanted to free up cap space, get a prospect the analytics team targeted, and acquire a draft pick which would help set up the Kucherov plan.

The Kucherov offer sheet never came to be but it’s one of the great subtext stories to this Gudbranson deal and it has been largely ignored.

The day before the deal was finalized, Vancouver’s John Weisbrod took Florida’s call and he expressed immediate interest in two of the Panthers defencemen, Dmitry Kulikov and Gudbranson.
(Damn, sometimes you can’t win no matter which way you turn).

The Computer Boys had been angling to move Gudbranson out of Florida for more than a year. With Tallon running things, Florida had come close to trading him to Calgary and then to Peter Chiarelli and Edmonton for the Griffin Reinhart package at the 2015 draft.

In an interview on Hockey Central shortly after the announcement, Benning said the Canucks hemmed and hawed. Obviously, any hemming and hawing did not last long.

“It came together fast,” Benning admitted.

Daren Millard then said: “This was you picking on the new GM, wasn’t it?”

Benning: “No, they called us. Our thinking behind the deal was we play in a division where there are some big, heavy teams, Anaheim, L.A. and San Jose. (Shows you how short-sighted their plans were at the time).

 

[Beezeral]

 

[Canucks LB]

More smoke

 

[canuckster19]

No one is asking to "pay for short term results". That's exactly what all these bullshit signings have been. Everyone, for years, has been saying to not do this. Benning has been Mr Short Term results. He JUST traded Madden for a handful of games of Toffoli

Don't twist the dissatisfied's narrative to something it isn't. Keeping Tanev and Markstrom is in no way "short term results" as much as it is just not regressing. With our ELCs there's zero excuse for it other than being bad at your job.

Right, because this years signings are going to bite us in the butt 6 years down the road...

Tiffoli would be a Canuck right now if it wasn't for covid.

 

[4Twenty]

If stetcher was a "train wreck", two current regulars on the canuck's line up : Juolevi and Chatfield are the shit on the boot of a man riding a nuclear missile into the sun. Stetch was a fine 6 or 7 dman who could play up the line up if needed. Chatfield and Juolevi shouldn't be near the NHL routinely rn.

Stetcher's contributions VS cost is exactly what the team needs and the lack of this awareness is why they are here.

Stecher led their blueline on goals for and against in the playoffs playing shutdown minutes with 75% D zone starts against top lines with edler at 5 on 5.

You can tell a lot about a hockey fan in how they described Troy Stecher as a Canuck.

Miles ahead of a #6.

 

[4Twenty]

There are a Bunch of folks who’ve regularly praised Benning on this forum. Interesting that quite a few haven’t logged in since the start of the 6 game losing streak. Were on daily leading up to it. Just cracks me up.

People don’t forget.

 

[RandV]

Mildly surprised how so many people that aren't Van fans don't know at all how Benning tried to pick Glass over Pettersson etc and think he is some drafting genius. Those guys don't trade their picks during top-5 worst seasons for like 4 years.

Benning is a simpleton, meat and taters GM that should've been fired 3-4 years ago.

One of the three big ones where he was saved from himself.

#2 - PK Subban at the 2015 draft. Had Pierre-Luc Dubois fallen to #5, Benning would have traded the pick in a package for Subban. I'm trying to find specifically who else was rumoured to be involved but I'm pretty sure it involved Horvat and maybe Tanev. Either way the #5 and Subban was clear as Benning got fined $50,000 for talking about it.

#3 - Milan Lucic at the 2015 draft. Benning was trying to trade the #23 Brock Boeser pick and Eddie Lack for 1 year of Milan Lucic. LA just had a better offer with Martin Jones and the #13 pick to win the Lucic sweepstakes.

The underlying point is for all the credit he gets for drafting Pettersson and Hughes every season he's tried to put together a competitive playoff team and only got those picks because he failed miserably at it.

 

[M2Beezy]

One of the three big ones where he was saved from himself.

#2 - PK Subban at the 2015 draft. Had Pierre-Luc Dubois fallen to #5, Benning would have traded the pick in a package for Subban. I'm trying to find specifically who else was rumoured to be involved but I'm pretty sure it involved Horvat and maybe Tanev. Either way the #5 and Subban was clear as Benning got fined $50,000 for talking about it.

#3 - Milan Lucic at the 2015 draft. Benning was trying to trade the #23 Brock Boeser pick and Eddie Lack for 1 year of Milan Lucic. LA just had a better offer with Martin Jones and the #13 pick to win the Lucic sweepstakes.

The underlying point is for all the credit he gets for drafting Pettersson and Hughes every season he's tried to put together a competitive playoff team and only got those picks because he failed miserably at it.

 

[Love]

More smoke

 

[Love]

Losing tonight could be the best thing to happen to this team in a long time

 

[Jumptheshark]

I think that if they sack Benning the owner will bring in a GM that will put the nucks in win now mode and do some trades long term that the Nuck fan base will hate

 

[BWJM]

Fun fact: Schmidt has 3 pts on a team that's scored 51 goals thus far. Tanev; the same, but their team has only scored 39. Tanev is also a +5 (when the team's goal differential is around 5 iirc) Tanev has played 13 games. Schmidt 17. YIKES on the group speak on that take.

Yeah Schmidt has had a very lackluster start to this season. Had 2 pucks bounce off him for goals last game too. Realistically 90% of the team is playing a step or two down from how we finished last year though.

Clean house. Team needs a new identity bad. Green will find work.

I'd look at Boudreau personally. Maybe even Gallant however wouldn't be surprised if one is already locked for Seattle.