Ranking the worst Benning moves

[Havre]

It's not confirmation bias. The argument put forth used average draft rankings to say one player was a bigger reach than the others. What that did not show is that using those same average draft rankings there are also clear breaks in players that are (nearly) universally ranked higher than others. If you are using average draft rankings as the crux of the argument then you have to be prepared to also use the other details of those rankings.

It is not revisionist history. You can go back to draft threads and see that isn't the case. You can also watch the video of that pick and hear the gasps around the arena when if was Juolevi's name called and not Tkachuk. Tkachuk was a consensus top 5 pick...that is not a revisionist look at things. Juolevi appeared to be a near consensus top 10 pick but he was nowhere near a consensus top 5 pick and there was one such player still on the board when Juolevi was taken. The same can not be said, for say, Pettersson who was the comparative used. There you had a consensus top 10 pick and no consensus pick higher than him on the board. It's a great pick and clearly the consensus on where he should have been appears to be wrong but that wasn't the argument being used.

I am not denying that Tkachuk was the consensus pick - so I´m not sure what the argument is? I am saying GMs go passed those "consensus" all the time. Yzerman just did and he is generally seen as one of the better GMs around. And when the argument is that it was a "clear" drop in quality that is just false. The top 5 proved not to be the top 5. So whoever thought the "consensus" was wrong was actually right - just not on which player that shouldn´t belong to the top 5 (Blue Jackets not taking the third guy among the consensus top 3 certainly seems to be a excellent decision).

I have also argued that GMs shouldn´t really reach for these things. That the "accumulated" scouting done on top picks are probably the best way to go. So I don´t disagree that Benning should have taken Tkachuk (obviously he would have missed out on EP - but in the long run I believe you are better off taken the consensus pick). But to make this some sort of "Benning-thing" and a huge mistake I can´t agree to. In hindsight - sure, but when it happened I disagree it was necessarily such a big blunder. Even Sergachev or Chychrun would have been perfectly acceptable picks compared to Tkachuk and might even still prove to have better careers. So the part of the argument that it was only Tkachuk to take I cannot agree to either.

I also think, even if you disagree, that when things are close you go for D or C. Juolevi was seen as a guy with 1D upside.

 

[Shareefruck]

Other - Removing any dissident voices in the management team. They circled their idiot wagon train and created an echo chamber of yes-men.

Yes, absolutely, this is my pick. In particular, firing Gilman and hiring Weisbrod is the worst thing he's done, IMO. It went from just incompetent and stupid to despicable slime-ball super-villainy for me after that point.

 

[BigTruzz]

Linden Vey for a 2nd round pick is getting underrated.

That was such a dumb trade.

 

[Shareefruck]

This is more difficult decision with more quality options than trying to pick the best Beatles song.

Tomorrow Never Knows pretty easily for me.

 

[Melvin]

Linden Vey for a 2nd round pick is getting underrated.

That was such a dumb trade.

aGe GaP

 

[Josepho]

Tomorrow Never Knows pretty easily for me.

revolution, with a little help from my friends >>>>

 

[thecupismine]

Jesus just reading this list makes my head hurt. The fact this man gets paid millions of dollars to make decisions for this team...makes me understand that pretty much anyone can make it in this world with a few strokes of good luck.

The fact the Kesler deal isn't even on here, something that caused outrage around these parts at the time, shows you how bad things have gotten.

 

[Teflon Jim]

I made my choice on what we gave up verse what we got
Erickson we gave up some of Aquas money and got a player worth half that.
Joulevi , we gave up one of the consensus top 5 picks for a next level guy on a slight reach.
Guds, we gave up McCaan and a 33oa draft pick and got Pearson.
Linden Vey, we gave up a 50oa draft pick and got nothing so he is my choice.

 

[Killer Orcas]

How does this guy still have a job after these absolute gems.

 

[RobertKron]

Obviously not his worst moves, impact-wise, but I think we need to at least mention all of the absolutely embarrassing things like the league having to hold their hand on how to get down to a roster for opening night, the Tryamkin contract where they didn't know how ELCs work, and managing to get dinged for tampering.

Like, those are just such ridiculous errors that are so unbelievably, immensely stupid that I think they deserve at least some honourable mention here. Like, at least - as far as we know - on those trades he managed to figure out how to use the telephone to make the trade call.

 

[Oddleifson]

Let us not forget -- in honour of Bad Goalie's persistence, if nothing else... -- the absolute failure of the Canucks to utilize their farm team to actually develop their players. One could even argue (hey! that's what we do here, right??) that the only development that has occurred there was our Coach and honestly, I have my doubts on that score too. This organization is becoming a first rate sh*t show -- I have been a fan since 1972 and this management/ownership cluster-fart is beyond comprehension.

JT Miller for a 1st.... !!!

My vote, ALL of the ABOVE !! Ship'em off the f-ing island already...

 

[SillyRabbit]

Obviously not his worst moves, impact-wise, but I think we need to at least mention all of the absolutely embarrassing things like the league having to hold their hand on how to get down to a roster for opening night, the Tryamkin contract where they didn't know how ELCs work, and managing to get dinged for tampering.

Like, those are just such ridiculous errors that are so unbelievably, immensely stupid that I think they deserve at least some honourable mention here. Like, at least - as far as we know - on those trades he managed to figure out how to use the telephone to make the trade call.

I mean, let’s not forget that they hired the man responsible for the Ryan O’Rielly fiasco as their assistant GM.

Details and due diligence have no place in this management group.

 

[Field of Dreams]

I know Benning hit massively on Petterson and Boeser, but that still doesn't make him a good scouting gm when you consider he flopped 2 top 5 picks in a row with Virtanen and Juolevi. What's worse is those were obviously bad picks at the time to us on hfboards.

I think Bennings worst failure however is how he can be simultaneously struggling to get out of the Eriksson contract and plotting to sign it's uninspired/unfunny sequel. The lack of reflection is baffling.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

missing:

- choosing sbisa over vatanen/theodore/manson

- not trading hamhuis and vrbata

- giving hutton away for no reason