A rebuilding team should be signing vets to one year deals that they can flip at the deadline like the Leafs did masterfully. If you go long term it better be on a real stud...otherwise just stay out of it and build with youth and cap flexibility. Some progressive thinking to weaponize cap space would be nice but a pipe dream with this management. Absolutely no more long term deals for average veteran players
I think you hit the nail on the head right there (ie if you go long term, it better be on a real stud).
I think the motivation behind most of Benning’s moves made sense (sans Gagner which I never understood).
1) Sutter: After our 2015 1st round loss, it was evident that this team needed a good 2nd line Center. Horvat wasn’t quite ready while Bonino wasn’t that guy (Bones is a great 3rd Line C but couldn’t cut it as a 2nd line guy). Hence - the trade for Sutter.
2) Eriksson: When Vrbata left, the Canucks were in dire need of a RW’er. Hansen was our only decent Top 6 RW’er. Burrows was washed up, Virtanen was developing, Boeser was in college, and Dorset wasn’t top 6 caliber. Hence - the decision to trade for Eriksson.
3) Gudbranson: Outside of Tanev, we had absolutely nothing on our Right Side D. This move was pretty self explanatory. The only thing I found really odd at this time, is this fanbase’s insistence on trading Tanev......without realizing that he was literally our only decent RD! Everyone else was literally a 6th-7th dman.
4) Prust: The team needed toughness, and Gaunce wasn’t quite NHL ready.
I believe that in ALL of the above scenarios, the thought process behind the decisions to acquire/sign these players were very well justified.
However - this management group simply targeted the WRONG players, and that’s a very serious black mark on this management’s Pro Scouting.
Even other guys like Vey, Pedan, Pouliot, etc.,....very serious errors by Pro Scouting.
I believe that the thought process behind these decisions was the correct thought process (this is where HF and I will disagree), but that Pro Scouting targeted the WRONG players (where HF and I will agree).
Getting back to your main point - I completely agree. IF a team is going to long term with a player and/or trade picks for a player, you need to be absolutely sure that said guy is going to deliver......and unfortunately, most of our Pro Scouting acquisitions during those years were duds.