Ranking the worst Benning moves

[SillyRabbit]

Can we acknowledge a huge red flag here?

Every single one of these moves were very obviously bad moves from the moment they were made.

There is no revisionist history or hindsight. If you look at the threads for any one of those moves, you will see the overwhelming majority of posters talking about how awful they were and criticizing Benning for it.

No one expects a GM to always be right. But we do expect the GM to have logical and sound reasoning behind each move they make. If it doesn’t work out, it’s unfortunate, but at least you can get on board with the thought process behind it.

The fact that every single one of these moves were universally hated immediately shows that the basic logic and reasoning behind each move was either flawed or simply nonexistent.

 

[Hansen]

Man Seattle is looking pretttty good if Jim isnt gone by the ED

 

[Master Radishes]

I voted Virtanen. I don't think it's the worst on paper, but that pick - combined with the fact that it was so clearly telegraphed that's who they were going to pick, and his rationale for it in interviews - was the moment I knew what kind of GM we had.

 

[Seattle Totems]

You guys are fretting about Loui Eriksson? Who f***ing cares about a bad UFA signing in the grand scheme of things.

Benning just traded a 1st pick with no lottery protection after missing the playoffs and being a lottery team for four years.

And he did the the Lightning a massive favour by taking on a contract that they needed to dump. Potential lottery pick for a middle 6 forward??

Hello?

This is hands down the worst deal that Benning has made. Fans could be talking about this trade for the next twenty years.

 

[Melvin]

Can we acknowledge a huge red flag here?

Every single one of these moves were very obviously bad moves from the moment they were made.

There is no revisionist history or hindsight. If you look at the threads for any one of those moves, you will see the overwhelming majority of posters talking about how awful they were and criticizing Benning for it.

No one expects a GM to always be right. But we do expect the GM to have logical and sound reasoning behind each move they make. If it doesn’t work out, it’s unfortunate, but at least you can get on board with the thought process behind it.

The fact that every single one of these moves were universally hated immediately shows that the basic logic and reasoning behind each move was either flawed or simply nonexistent.

Not quite. People were mostly positive about Eriksson, with us negative nellies taking a lot of heat.

 

[timw33]

Not quite. People were mostly positive about Eriksson, with us negative nellies taking a lot of heat.

Relative to many of the other moves made to that date it was lightly (small 'l") defensible in that many banked on production not completely falling off a cliff (he was good with them at the Sedins @ WJC though!!!) for at least a couple seasons, knowing full well the back half of the contract was brutal. But again, this is in contrast to moves made up until this point, 95% of which were completely indefensible.

After his first game as a Canuck it was "aahah that was weird lol not a great way to start", but sadly his first game was somehow the high point in that he gave us an evergreen meme out of it.

 

[Melvin]

Relative to many of the other moves made to that date it was lightly (small 'l") defensible in that many banked on production not completely falling off a cliff (he was good with them at the Sedins @ WJC though!!!) for at least a couple seasons, knowing full well the back half of the contract was brutal. But again, this is in contrast to moves made up until this point, 95% of which were completely indefensible.

After his first game as a Canuck it was "aahah that was weird lol not a great way to start", but sadly his first game was somehow the high point in that he gave us an evergreen meme out of it.

It's why I'm not as okay with the Edler signing as most. We always assume this gradual decline but when a player is in his 30s it's often more abrupt than that.

On a two year deal though it's not such a big problem.

 

[THE Green Man]

Not quite. People were mostly positive about Eriksson, with us negative nellies taking a lot of heat.

That's how I recall it too. Most said the cap hit was fine and term maybe a year too long. Thought he'd be fine the first 3 years and then the next 3 would be rough. Then he hits the ice, scores on our own goal and that has been exactly how his tenure here has gone along the lines of. But at the time that signing was received not terribly- hindsight is a pain though now.

 

[racerjoe]

Can I just vote for "rebuilding the defense"? With this Hutton news, and the fact our defense still sucks... ugh.

I voted the Gud-awful-son trade.

 

[Addison Rae]

It's going to be Tyler Myers, because it just hilariously outlines the utter incompetence of the regime.

They've spent an entire drafts worth of picks trying to upgrade the defense just to end up with Gudbranson, Larsen, Pedan, Sbisa, Bartowski, Clendenning etc.

The icing on the cake is signing as #4/5 to an outlandish deal and treating him like a core player. This regime couldn't pro scout a professional defender to save it's life.

 

[CanucksSTM]

Loui signing is by far the worst move..

 

[Steveorama]

If Benning signs Myers per the numbers above...that will be his crowning achievement of incompetence.
$6.5 million per, for the 4th best dman on the fricking Jets?!
I would not sign him for 2 years at that salary.
7 years will be a salary cap eater that stops this team from filling gaps when they become a competitive team.

 

[Siludin]

Poll is garbage, doesn't include the worst move: not trading Hamhuis.

 

[ginner classic]

Poll is garbage, doesn't include the worst move: not trading Hamhuis.

Will add. Count it under other. Valid and a top choice for sure, but is it the worst?

 

[Grip it N RYP it]

That list is embarrassing. Mix in his failures to move assets when they held value, sprinkle all of his terrible minor moves, and you've got one of the ****iest turd sundaes in the history of metaphorical sundaes.

 

[jigsaw99]

Juolevi draft. Think how much better we'll be with Tkachuk and how much worse Calgary will be... Also, we wouldn't need to make that JT Miller trade.

 

[CanaFan]

Can we acknowledge a huge red flag here?

Every single one of these moves were very obviously bad moves from the moment they were made.

There is no revisionist history or hindsight. If you look at the threads for any one of those moves, you will see the overwhelming majority of posters talking about how awful they were and criticizing Benning for it.

No one expects a GM to always be right. But we do expect the GM to have logical and sound reasoning behind each move they make. If it doesn’t work out, it’s unfortunate, but at least you can get on board with the thought process behind it.

The fact that every single one of these moves were universally hated immediately shows that the basic logic and reasoning behind each move was either flawed or simply nonexistent.

The biggest red flag is just the sheer size of the damn list.

 

[Melvin]

The biggest red flag is just the sheer size of the damn list.

It doesn't even include the Kesler trade. Or the Gudbranson extension.

 

[member 290103]

His only good move is continuing to employ Judd Bracket. All his other moves are either horrendous, terrible, bad or of little consequence.

He is easily the worst GM in club history considering the time he has been allotted to continue to f*** up.

 

[CanaFan]

What would the reverse poll question list?

Correctly gambling on Pettersson over Glass, etc
Not not drafting Quinn Hughes
Pearson (in isolation)
Signing Stecher
Signing Vrbata
Signing Vanek
Not resigning Miller
Promoting Judd Brackett
Holding on to Markstrom for so long

??

I’m out after 9.

 

[Cupless44]

What is truly truly pathetic, that I would like to see the Benning defenders explain....is how can you be on the job for 5 years and never have come up with one decent defenceman so that Edler and Tanev are still the best defencemen left over from the previous regime and now you have to make a desperate franchise damaging move like over paying Myers for 7 years.

Does this dumb man never learn anything on the job??

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

Jesus. 90% of his transactions have been terrible.

 

[Bettman Returnz]

Needless to say he’s done a lot of dumb s***. We may as well just start an ongoing list.

I do think the way the gudbranson trade is worded can be a bit misleading. There’s no telling who we would’ve picked (May not have been DeBrincat). With that said, the deal still blows. But my vote was for eriksson as it felt like a train wreck from the moment the rumours started (that we were going to sign him). Sure enough, here we are! Bring on Myers next lol... going to regret that in a few seasons.

 

[RandV]

If it happens I feel like a Myers signing is the tops as it combines the Eriksson with the mistake with the Gudbranson (extension) mistake into one big 'after 5 years have you learned nothing!?' gaffe, not to mention it's being done in what's likely on his way out the door leaving it a for long mistake for the next GM to have to deal with.

Same kind of deal with the Miller trade to the Gudbranson trade, but Miller should at least be a much better player and it remains to be seen where that draft pick ends up.

 

[canucksfan]

What would the reverse poll question list?

Correctly gambling on Pettersson over Glass, etc
Not not drafting Quinn Hughes
Pearson (in isolation)
Signing Stecher
Signing Vrbata
Signing Vanek
Not resigning Miller
Promoting Judd Brackett
Holding on to Markstrom for so long

??

I’m out after 9.

Trading Bieksa for a second. Trading Lack for a third.