Management Thread: Weisileaks

[Zippgunn]

Can we Have the management thread back.

This is turning into the "Knowing Benning..." thread...

 

[Zippgunn]

I am convinced Jimbo's tenure here is worse than Kennan's.

NOBODY compares with "The Eel". Complete pure evil. Catastrophic.

 

[LordBacon]

I am convinced Jimbo's tenure here is worse than Kennan's.

Just wait till he trades horvat for Marchand and names that rat captain

 

[RobertKron]

Billionaires wouldn’t be billionaires if they weren’t worried about their money

Honestly a lot of them would still be billionaires if they had never made a single active financial decision in their lives.

 

[Dab]

Honestly a lot of them would still be billionaires if they had never made a single active financial decision in their lives.

Jeff Bezos is personally involved in crushing unions in his factories. Now what does the worlds richest billionaire care if he has to pay a few bucks an hour more for labour? The Aquilini’s absolutely care about the bottom dollar. Rich Employers all over the world are squeezing every penny. Billionaire Jimmy Pattinson, notoriously involved in almost all aspects of his business, took pandemic pay from save on foods workers.

That said I don’t think The Familia is being cheap, they are spending to the max in a covid year. I don’t blame the Thr Familia for not wanting to bail Jim out. I blame them for keeping him on for soooo long.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

I am convinced Jimbo's tenure here is worse than Kennan's.

Keenan's like bloodletting. It really sucks, but it kinda f***ing worked in a way. This is like shoving a crystal up the b-hole for 7 concurrent years hoping the sickness will go away thru positive thinking.

 

[RobertKron]

Jeff Bezos is personally involved in crushing unions in his factories. Now what does the worlds richest billionaire care if he has to pay a few bucks an hour more for labour? The Aquilini’s absolutely care about the bottom dollar. Rich Employers all over the world are squeezing every penny. Billionaire Jimmy Pattinson, notoriously involved in almost all aspects of his business, took pandemic pay from save on foods workers.

How does this not fall under the "greed" side of my original statement?

 

[born]

These muppets needs to move Pearson before the trade deadline or else I'm afraid they'll lose him for nothing.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

So Benning is looking for a young, top 9 forward.

So basically Benning's at the stage where your boss has a serious meeting with you, and you know that *he* knows you suck, and you have to blurt out something to save your hide, then have to make the appearance of going through the motions if had been some kind of actual plan.

"So, Jim. We're really sinking in the standings here. The players are all pissed off, they're not playing together as a team, what's going on, man? What's your plan to fix this situation?"
"Uh...uh...we're actively looking for a young, top 9 player!"
..."okay, Jim. You go take care of that."

Benning *can't* be stupid enough to be in Buy mode. He just can't be. Not even him. If this guy manages to find his way to the stadium to watch the games, he's at least intelligent enough for that. C'mon.

 

[lawrence]

I personally don't buy into the Benning is looking for a under 25 year old top 9 winger. I will admit not a fan of Benning I am also not a fan of guys like Lebrun or Friedman taking advantage of the situation we are in and making up headlines for popularity gain.

 

[tantalum]

I do find it strange that some in the media are just now talking about this being perhaps the worst bottom 6 in the league as if it's some sort of revelation. It's been the worst bottom 6 for multiple seasons now. It was broken down at the beginning of last season in the athletic. Horvat and Pettersson lines were amongst the best and the bottom 6 was the worst in the league...and it was the worst by a big margin compared to second worst. The bottom 6 hasn't really changed so why would it be better?

Add in a poor blueline that got worse and absolutely ZERO organizational depth and what you are seeing is not a shock but what was inevitable after 7 years of completely incompetent management. And as the Athletic hammered home...this is with Pettersson, Horvat, Hughes, Boeser and Miller taking up less than $20 mil of the cap and the team capped out.

It's a team that has 5 top 9 forwards and that's about it. And a good chunk of the rest shouldn't even be on a 4th line in the NHL. A team with 3 top 4 D-men (one rapdily aging out of a top 4 role, one really struggling defensively but young and the other is Schmidt). Then you have Myers who bleeds goals like Hughes (well not exactly like...no one is like Hughes this year). And then Hamonic and Benn who likely shouldn't be more than #8s. And the unknown in Juolevi who I know people are praising but still really isn't showing top truly be a top 6 NHL player. Maybe top 6 in Vancouver but that speaks more about management than anything else.

This team is in a far tougher situation compared to when Benning came in. Well done Jim!

 

[Fatass]

I do find it strange that some in the media are just now talking about this being perhaps the worst bottom 6 in the league as if it's some sort of revelation. It's been the worst bottom 6 for multiple seasons now. It was broken down at the beginning of last season in the athletic. Horvat and Pettersson lines were amongst the best and the bottom 6 was the worst in the league...and it was the worst by a big margin compared to second worst. The bottom 6 hasn't really changed so why would it be better?

Add in a poor blueline that got worse and absolutely ZERO organizational depth and what you are seeing is not a shock but what was inevitable after 7 years of completely incompetent management. And as the Athletic hammered home...this is with Pettersson, Horvat, Hughes, Boeser and Miller taking up less than $20 mil of the cap and the team capped out.

It's a team that has 5 top 9 forwards and that's about it. And a good chunk of the rest shouldn't even be on a 4th line in the NHL. A team with 3 top 4 D-men (one rapdily aging out of a top 4 role, one really struggling defensively but young and the other is Schmidt). Then you have Myers who bleeds goals like Hughes (well not exactly like...no one is like Hughes this year). And then Hamonic and Benn who likely shouldn't be more than #8s. And the unknown in Juolevi who I know people are praising but still really isn't showing top truly be a top 6 NHL player. Maybe top 6 in Vancouver but that speaks more about management than anything else.

This team is in a far tougher situation compared to when Benning came in. Well done Jim!

Which players would a new (competent) GM keep?
Petey, Hughes, Hogs, Pods.

 

[iceburg]

IMO lowest point in franchise history. And the amazing thing is it could get worse.

 

[m9]

It's extremely strange that they've gone this deep into the season being so awful and have literally done nothing.

The team is basically completely healthy and have achieved the worst results vs expected results in the entire league.

There has been no management change (or even management talking publicly), no coach change, no even mid-tier trade.

There hasn't even been a noteworthy veteran healthy scratch like we've seen elsewhere.

There have been signs of major chemistry issues and they don't appear to be addressed and they certainly haven't been fixed.

It's like when you joined a fantasy sports league and one guy loses interest after two weeks and the team is on auto-pilot the rest of the year, just starting the same lineup regardless of results.

I know people want to say it's because Aquilini has been cheap but I just don't see it. They could have saved real money by buying out guys like Sutter, Baertschi, and Teves. They could have not spent over the cap (including LTIR) and went for cheaper options than Holtby and Schmidt, but they didn't. If they were in such a money crunch there were many alternatives to what they've ended up doing.

It seems like they're paralyzed right now. I would love the answer to be that Aquilini has been working on making a major move behind the scenes so ordered everyone to hold status quo.. but I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

I personally don't buy into the Benning is looking for a under 25 year old top 9 winger. I will admit not a fan of Benning I am also not a fan of guys like Lebrun or Friedman taking advantage of the situation we are in and making up headlines for popularity gain.

My guess is that it will be a somewhat lateral move based on the rumours of Virtanen and Gaudette being shopped. Like the Virtanen for Bennett rumour. At least I hope so.

 

[tantalum]

Which players would a new (competent) GM keep?
Petey, Hughes, Hogs, Pods.

I'd say for the time being you also have Horvat in there. Why? Well because I think you can keep him at decent money if he's maxed at as a 2nd line two-way type guy. Given the state of the organization you likely have to try to work with Demko and see if he can clean up his game. I'm not his biggest fan but the Markstrom train has left the station so moving forward a new GM (please let there be a new GM) is going to have to live with that. Hell maybe having an average goaltender will put the focus on a proper build on the 18 skaters in front of him. If he progresses then you get double the benefit.

There really aren't many other I'd really consider truly working with moving forward.

Miller if he wants to clean up his attitude is fine to keep around but man that attitude is a major concern.

Pearson if he comes in at under $3 mil as he can play third line (needs to not be in the top 6 except in times of injury). And I really wouldn't care one way or the other with him.

But honestly after that I don't see a lot that you worry about moving. Obviously you can't turn over 16 bodies at once so some will have to be back. But look at the Oilers. A bunch of no name bottom 6 players that are starting to come together a bit and make some impact.

 

[BerSTUzzi]

It is nice to see our ownership is exactly like our management and can't think on two timelines at once. Apparently, it hasn't crossed Aquaman's mind that the current on-ice product won't have an impact on his bottom line next year when fans return to the rinks. He must really think promoting a group that will be very similar team next year, baring a miracle, will likely be just as terrible and result in lower ticket and season ticket revenue. Oh no, never think about a 1 , 2, 5 and 10 year plan that never occurs in businesses that are run well. An amazing business never evaluates where they are, makes changes to inefficiencies and constantly evolves to ensure growth.

 

[4Twenty]

It is nice to see our ownership is exactly like our management and can't think on two timelines at once. Apparently, it hasn't crossed Aquaman's mind that the current on-ice product won't have an impact on his bottom line next year when fans return to the rinks. He must really think promoting a group that will be very similar team next year, baring a miracle, will likely be just as terrible and result in lower ticket and season ticket revenue. Oh no, never think about a 1 , 2, 5 and 10 year plan that never occurs in businesses that are run well. An amazing business never evaluates where they are, makes changes to inefficiencies and constantly evolves to ensure growth.

This is what I never understand when folks like @sting101 suggest that no paying fans this year makes it basically acceptable to suck since it doesn’t impact the current seasons bottom line.


Every loss. Every day that goes by with the same folks in charge. Every Aquilini tweet. They all hurt the franchises value and any consumer confidence.

The scary part is I would guess ticket prices remain flat or rise.

 

[JiffyPB]

Rick Dhaliwahl also said on the Vancast podcast that even if the team were to hire a new coach in the off season, it would be in the ~2.5 mill range, not 4 or more. So a premium coach is probably not as interested in the job unless they really want to coach that bad.

I can honestly imagine that it’s just as bad if not worse for the GM role. What person wants a job for this owner with low salary.

 

[Lupuls Grit]

I am surprised that there is not more of a #FireBenning trend line on Twitter. I think we collectively underestimate our ability to force or expedite change by use of social media. While we can't attend games, hold up signs, chant and boo, we can make our voices heard through social media. Here is what I posted this morning on Twitter:

Chris@SimcoeLaker
@fr_aquilini
The #Canucks

have an exciting foundation & are close to contending but need new management. Please hire a President of Hockey Operations and give that person the required autonomy to make the big decisions necessary for that purpose. Thank you!
@Canucks
#FireBenning

While Twitter is often a cesspool of negativity and not recommended for positive mental health, corporations are cognizant of public discourse on social media, especially when hashtags trend and the volume is amplified. I think it's easy for the Canucks to ignore local media (especially now!) but harder to ignore when opinions like this are amplified by Canuck fans everywhere. For the good of the team, I recommend that if you have access to twitter, keep up the campaign. If you don't have twitter, stay off it! LOL!

 

[Josepho]

i forget does cox actually have any sources or is he more of an analyst

 

[theguardianII]

It's extremely strange that they've gone this deep into the season being so awful and have literally done nothing.

The team is basically completely healthy and have achieved the worst results vs expected results in the entire league.

There has been no management change (or even management talking publicly), no coach change, no even mid-tier trade.

There hasn't even been a noteworthy veteran healthy scratch like we've seen elsewhere.

There have been signs of major chemistry issues and they don't appear to be addressed and they certainly haven't been fixed.

It's like when you joined a fantasy sports league and one guy loses interest after two weeks and the team is on auto-pilot the rest of the year, just starting the same lineup regardless of results.

I know people want to say it's because Aquilini has been cheap but I just don't see it. They could have saved real money by buying out guys like Sutter, Baertschi, and Teves. They could have not spent over the cap (including LTIR) and went for cheaper options than Holtby and Schmidt, but they didn't. If they were in such a money crunch there were many alternatives to what they've ended up doing.

It seems like they're paralyzed right now. I would love the answer to be that Aquilini has been working on making a major move behind the scenes so ordered everyone to hold status quo.. but I'll believe it when I see it.

Essentially they have done nothing since they traded for Miller and signed Ferland with one exception and that was the Toffoli trade.
So Benning really hasn't done anything worth his salary for almost 18+ months.

Mr. Aquilini has done something, he hired/promoted Chris Gear to Assistant GM in charge of finances. If he has the keys to the vault then and the team being way over the cap, Benning has handcuffed himself, Mr. A. is just honoring JB's contract and letting him run the team 100% but with training wheels on now, themoney tap is off.

Even when they did Fire Benning this season is already done, it took Benning 7 years to build this colossus, it will take a master mechanic to refloat the good ship Canucktanic.

But what it would do is signal that REAL improvement could be coming and start regaining fan faith.

It is almost like the final hope is the team gets the number 1 pick overall at the draft and would even that save Benning's job?

If I thought I might be a candidate I would start using back doors to start feeling out other teams as to what the market could get me for players on this team and what I could get if I targeted some players.

I certainly hope that and I can't see, Benning being anywhere near a phone come the TDL, the math all but eliminates the Canucks from playoffs very soon, as it is they need to win 29 games

 

[Fatass]

This is what I never understand when folks like @sting101 suggest that no paying fans this year makes it basically acceptable to suck since it doesn’t impact the current seasons bottom line.


Every loss. Every day that goes by with the same folks in charge. Every Aquilini tweet. They all hurt the franchises value and any consumer confidence.

The scary part is I would guess ticket prices remain flat or rise.

It’s been seven years of Benning and the team being very poor. With the access to other teams and sports so easy now, isn’t it very likely the Canucks will lose a lot of younger fans to those other clubs/sports? I’m wondering if there will be a gap in fans, similar to what the BC Lions are experiencing, but (of course) on a smaller scale?

 

[Dab]

NOBODY compares with "The Eel". Complete pure evil. Catastrophic.

Evil or gross incompetence? That is a tough choice.

 

[Love]

Aquilini is probably the best owner in the league to work for if you're a GM. You can literally screw up over and over for almost a decade and all you'll get is support from Aquaman.

It's a no pressure work environment.