Speculation: The Team Presidency Discussion Thread

[elitepete]

Pass on Gillis.

I'd rather not have a prospect pool full of jordan Schroeder, Alexander mallet , adam polasek, joe labate, Ludwig blomstrand, alex friesen and yann sauve

What about the prospect pool that was full of our future captain, 2 of our only 3 top 4 defensemen, and our #1 goalie?

 

[elitepete]

Yeah, it's so much better with Olli Juolevi, Virtanen, Gadjovic, Lind, Zhukenov, Jasek, Carl Neill...Rodrigo Albols...Mack Stewart...but we actually might have a good team on the ice, though. Don't know if you were aware of this, but the Canucks were actually a good team when Gillis was here.

*edit* Yeah, DownGoesMcdavid went dead the day this account took off, right? Shocker.

Wow lmao I thought that was DownGoesMcdavid but he just changed his name. His posts are exactly the same as that guys.

Didn’t realize that moron got banned and created a new account.

Are the mods gonna ban this guy again?

 

[vanuck]

Krueger seems more like an intelligent, progressive thinker. He’s essentially the anti Benning.

I’d be on board

Anybody who can be described as "the anti-Benning" gets a vote from me.

Ed Willis saying the Canucks might consider hiring Gillis again

As awesome as that would be, I am inclined to believe that's not going to happen with Aquilini being here and all.

 

[brokenhole]

Lol rehire Gillis to troll the Oilers..i could see it happen tho as Aquaman would blow a gasket if the Oilers win the cup with Gillis as GM. I would love it if he was rehired the drama in the front office would be delicious. You could see the Benning Bros go full on scanners..heads blowing off all over Vancouver, Redditt and CDC would have to call in triage units to cope.

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

I like Kreuger very forward thinking. I like Francis but he might be too patient for this market.

Mcrimmon is very good too in building sustainable teams.

 

[GetFocht]

Ed Willis saying the Canucks might consider hiring Gillis again

Where

 

[Peter10]

Wow lmao I thought that was DownGoesMcdavid but he just changed his name. His posts are exactly the same as that guys.

Didn’t realize that moron got banned and created a new account.

Are the mods gonna ban this guy again?

Nope. Figured it out quite a while ago already but guess it needs to be proven.

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

He hired Brackett. So yeah, screw Boeser, Hughes, Gaudette, Madden, Rathbone, Lockwood, etc. He was also way better with free agency signings (Hamhuis, Tanev, Malhotra, Sundin, Demitra, Samuelsson, Torres, Lack...and even minor moves like Weise, Bitz, Santorelli, Richardson, Weber, Johnson, Wellwood, etc. were defensible) and contract extensions (Sedins, Kesler, Burrows, Salo, Edler, Hansen, etc.).

He also had his fair share of mistakes in trades (Ballarf) and handed out NTCs that crippled us for years. Gillis also has 0 people skills. He has a bad reputation in the NHL, which is primarily why he has hasn't had an NHL job in the last 5 yrs

Not saying he wasnt a good manager, I'd rather just move forward not backwards and get someone in the PoHo role that will have a fresh take on the team, management, owner and personnel

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

Nope. Figured it out quite a while ago already but guess it needs to be proven.

Lmao you didn't figure jack you know what because your reaching. I'm still here because I'm not McdavidGuy or whatever. But please feel free to spend your long weekend looking for evidence and grasping for straws. It's not like it's a gorgeous day in Vancouver or anything

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

Yeah you’re right who wants to be in the cup finals when you can have a grEat ProSpect PooL.

We were in cup Finals because of Luongo Kesler Sedins Edler Salo

Gillis however did a great job supplementing our studs w Ehrhoff Hamhuis Malhotra Higgins LaPierre.
That's definitely great work.

Were going to need management to do the same and supplement Ep40 Boeser Horvat Hughes w. Clever trades and under the radar signings. Loved recent additions of Pearson and Leivo.

Very Higgins, Samuelsson like additions.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Pass on Gillis.

I'd rather not have a prospect pool full of jordan Schroeder, Alexander mallet , adam polasek, joe labate, Ludwig blomstrand, alex friesen and yann sauve

Agreed. Gillis would be a huge improvement over Benning but I’d rather get a better all round guy than Gillis. He was good at filling in the missing pieces on a very good team but the last couple of years he was really bad when the team had declined. For the record I don’t think this current team is anywhere near the team Gillis took over. There’s a lot of work still to do.
I know some of the blame for Gillis’ last few years falls on ownership but I also hold the GM responsible.

 

[bossram]

He also had his fair share of mistakes in trades (Ballarf) and handed out NTCs that crippled us for years. Gillis also has 0 people skills. He has a bad reputation in the NHL, which is primarily why he has hasn't had an NHL job in the last 5 yrs

Not saying he wasnt a good manager, I'd rather just move forward not backwards and get someone in the PoHo role that will have a fresh take on the team, management, owner and personnel

Ballard was a good process trade. We needed a mobile, top-four defenseman and Ballard had a good history at that. What we didn't know was an undisclosed hip injury that severely hampered him off the bat with the Canucks. Ballard then didn't mesh with AV. Yes it turned out bad, but you can see the thinking. This isn't trading for Gudbranson, who everyone intelligent knows is a terrible defenseman, and is exactly the opposite of the way the NHL was going.

Gillis gave NTCs to good players to lower their cap hits. No one talks about it, but Benning has also given some form of NTCs to...Sutter, Eriksson, Beagle. Pure roster deadweight. At least a guy like Hamhuis (with his *gasp* NTC) was a top-pair/top-four calibre defenseman for a lot of years, and even AFTER we let him walk was still a better player than literally ANY defenseman Benning has brought in through pro scouting.

Gillis' "reputation" was bad because he wasn't in the Old Boys Club. And he didn't pander to the shill media guys.

We were in cup Finals because of Luongo Kesler Sedins Edler Salo

Gillis however did a great job supplementing our studs w Ehrhoff Hamhuis Malhotra Higgins LaPierre.
That's definitely great work.

Were going to need management to do the same and supplement Ep40 Boeser Horvat Hughes w. Clever trades and under the radar signings. Loved recent additions of Pearson and Leivo.

Very Higgins, Samuelsson like additions.

Those "supplementary" players are better than most of Benning's additions (which are generally useless). Ehrhoff and Hamhuis were legitimate top-pairing calibre players. Malhotra was a top-end 3C. Where or when has Benning ever brought in someone of that quality through pro scouting? The best defenseman Benning has added through the pro side might be...Alex Biega. Seriously.

I'm not saying Gillis is 100% the best hire. But he is so so so so so so so many miles better than Benning. It's absolutely hilarious to compare them.

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

Ballard was a good process trade. We needed a mobile, top-four defenseman and Ballard had a good history at that. What we didn't know was an undisclosed hip injury that severely hampered him off the bat with the Canucks. Ballard then didn't mesh with AV. Yes it turned out bad, but you can see the thinking. This isn't trading for Gudbranson, who everyone intelligent knows is a terrible defenseman, and is exactly the opposite of the way the NHL was going.

Gillis gave NTCs to good players to lower their cap hits. No one talks about it, but Benning has also given some form of NTCs to...Sutter, Eriksson, Beagle. Pure roster deadweight. At least a guy like Hamhuis (with his *gasp* NTC) was a top-pair/top-four calibre defenseman for a lot of years, and even AFTER we let him walk was still a better player than literally ANY defenseman Benning has brought in through pro scouting.

Gillis' "reputation" was bad because he wasn't in the Old Boys Club. And he didn't pander to the shill media guys.



Those "supplementary" players are better than most of Benning's additions (which are generally useless). Ehrhoff and Hamhuis were legitimate top-pairing calibre players. Malhotra was a top-end 3C. Where or when has Benning ever brought in someone of that quality through pro scouting? The best defenseman Benning has added through the pro side might be...Alex Biega. Seriously.

I'm not saying Gillis is 100% the best hire. But he is so so so so so so so many miles better than Benning. It's absolutely hilarious to compare them.

Dont know what the point is in comparing them. They both couldn't get us a cup... Period.

Move on to someone else . Lots of options out there.

Hire someone as a new president and let him have all the information that the public isnt previ to like how much say and meddling did the owner have in forcing Bennings hand in previous years. ...at that point when he has all the facts then he can decide to fire Benning or let him keep going.

 

[tantalum]

Agreed. Gillis would be a huge improvement over Benning but I’d rather get a better all round guy than Gillis. He was good at filling in the missing pieces on a very good team but the last couple of years he was really bad when the team had declined. For the record I don’t think this current team is anywhere near the team Gillis took over. There’s a lot of work still to do.
I know some of the blame for Gillis’ last few years falls on ownership but I also hold the GM responsible.

As a reminder the rumor, such that it is, is Gillis as a president Not GM. He would be responsible for overall direction and the management of the organization. Those are things Gillis excels in. The execution of plan would be the GMs responsibility and if such a thing were to happen there is no way that GM will be Benning.

Also, it is clear that Gillis was prevented in doing much of what he wanted to do his last 18-24 months. However, if you look back he set the team up about as well as he could to enter a new era. He made sure he got a very good prospect for Schneider. He got a good, if somewhat delayed, return on Luongo. He changed up the scouting staff and direction and there is no question the Canucks have benefitted from that as well (he didn’t do this early enough). He set them up with cap space and some assets to move to free up more. His plan wasn’t actually much different than the incoming management...using the assets and cap space to start turning the team around for the future. The difference is I don’t think he pisses all that stuff away like a Benning has.

That said, it was that meddling that likely makes this rumor far from a possibility unless there is a very detailed contract written about what he does and does not have to go to ownership with.

Gillis offered to only hold the president title. Ownership declined that at the time. Maybe they have realized their mistake?

 

[WetcoastOrca]

As a reminder the rumor, such that it is, is Gillis as a president Not GM. He would be responsible for overall direction and the management of the organization. Those are things Gillis excels in. The execution of plan would be the GMs responsibility and if such a thing were to happen there is no way that GM will be Benning.

Also, it is clear that Gillis was prevented in doing much of what he wanted to do his last 18-24 months. However, if you look back he set the team up about as well as he could to enter a new era. He made sure he got a very good prospect for Schneider. He got a good, if somewhat delayed, return on Luongo. He changed up the scouting staff and direction and there is no question the Canucks have benefitted from that as well (he didn’t do this early enough). He set them up with cap space and some assets to move to free up more. His plan wasn’t actually much different than the incoming management...using the assets and cap space to start turning the team around for the future. The difference is I don’t think he pisses all that stuff away like a Benning has.

That said, it was that meddling that likely makes this rumor far from a possibility unless there is a very detailed contract written about what he does and does not have to go to ownership with.

Gillis offered to only hold the president title. Ownership declined that at the time. Maybe they have realized their mistake?

Yes I understand it’s for President and deals more with the direction of the team but I think Gillis was moving the team in the wrong direction the last few years.
I’m not going to rehash all of Gillis’ poor moves and decisions as this has been debated at length here. He made some very good ones too but for the most part earlier on. He was head and shoulders above Benning but that’s faint praise.
I also recognize meddling ownership was an issue but ultimately I think Gillis shares some of the blame for moving the team in the wrong direction.

At this point I’d like to move on and hire someone who has helped to build a team as I think we still have a long way to go.
I think if we get an experienced builder it’s likely that Benning gets replaced in any event.

Overall Gillis wouldn’t be a bad hire, I just think we can do better. I’d like some one with a track record of helping to turn poor franchises around.

 

[Hit the post]

Ballard was a good process trade. We needed a mobile, top-four defenseman and Ballard had a good history at that. What we didn't know was an undisclosed hip injury that severely hampered him off the bat with the Canucks. Ballard then didn't mesh with AV. Yes it turned out bad, but you can see the thinking.

Heh, Keith Ballard was originally drafted in the 1st round by the Buffalo Sabres in 2002.
Jim Benning was lauded (and rightly so) for the scouting work he did for the Sabres. He was director of amateur scouting for the Sabres in 2002. Weird eh?

I don’t know why I didn’t pickup on this before (had to read it from a post on CDC).

 

[YeahHeDid]

He also had his fair share of mistakes in trades (Ballarf) and handed out NTCs that crippled us for years. Gillis also has 0 people skills. He has a bad reputation in the NHL, which is primarily why he has hasn't had an NHL job in the last 5 yrs

Not saying he wasnt a good manager, I'd rather just move forward not backwards and get someone in the PoHo role that will have a fresh take on the team, management, owner and personnel

Bad reputation - heresay
No job for 5 years because of that - speculation

He'd have a job if he wanted one. Maybe even Ottawa or elsewhere but he said he's waiting for an opportunity to have a hands off owner who will let him be progressive and experimental in his approach.

 

[RandV]

Heh, Keith Ballard was originally drafted in the 1st round by the Buffalo Sabres in 2002.
Jim Benning was lauded (and rightly so) for the scouting work he did for the Sabres. He was director of amateur scouting for the Sabres in 2002. Weird eh?

I don’t know why I didn’t pickup on this before (had to read it from a post on CDC).

And one of their better 1st round picks. Buffalo was actually pretty bad in the 1st round during Benning's time there, where they made their reputation was on the extra picks in the later round where they found a bunch of guys like Miller, Roy, Pominville, etc, enough to fill out the depth of a top team for a couple seasons.

 

[Peter10]

Lmao you didn't figure jack you know what because your reaching. I'm still here because I'm not McdavidGuy or whatever. But please feel free to spend your long weekend looking for evidence and grasping for straws. It's not like it's a gorgeous day in Vancouver or anything

Why would I care what weather is in Vancouver? And dont worry about my long weekend, I am sitting in the office. You know, there are people who dont work the usual Monday-Friday 9 to 5 routine.

 

[Melvin]

And one of their better 1st round picks. Buffalo was actually pretty bad in the 1st round during Benning's time there, where they made their reputation was on the extra picks in the later round where they found a bunch of guys like Miller, Roy, Pominville, etc, enough to fill out the depth of a top team for a couple seasons.

Which is of course the important thing if you are going to evaluate the work of a scouting staff. Something that Benning supporters have seemingly forgotten when evaluating the work in Vancouver.

 

[Jay Cee]

I like Kreuger very forward thinking. I like Francis but he might be too patient for this market.

Mcrimmon is very good too in building sustainable teams.

Did you consider his "patience" might have to do with the fact Carolina is a small market/low budget team?

 

[tantalum]

Yes I understand it’s for President and deals more with the direction of the team but I think Gillis was moving the team in the wrong direction the last few years.
I’m not going to rehash all of Gillis’ poor moves and decisions as this has been debated at length here. He made some very good ones too but for the most part earlier on. He was head and shoulders above Benning but that’s faint praise.
I also recognize meddling ownership was an issue but ultimately I think Gillis shares some of the blame for moving the team in the wrong direction.

At this point I’d like to move on and hire someone who has helped to build a team as I think we still have a long way to go.
I think if we get an experienced builder it’s likely that Benning gets replaced in any event.

Overall Gillis wouldn’t be a bad hire, I just think we can do better. I’d like some one with a track record of helping to turn poor franchises around.

I’m not advocating for it. They moved on and it should stay that way. At least you don’t bring a guy back a handful of years later and let it be a bit longer. A few regimes in between type thing.

I do think they need to get someone in ASAP and reset. Meddling or not the last decision they made on president was a poor one.

 

[Jay Cee]

I want the stuff people are smoking or the glue that people have been sniffing to believe after paying Gillis for years to stay home that he is going to come back and be the boss again.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I want the stuff people are smoking or the glue that people have been sniffing to believe after paying Gillis for years to stay home that he is going to come back and be the boss again.

Maybe it was the waft of smoke that emanated from Sunset Beach yesterday...?

 

[y2kcanucks]

I would be happy with Gillis being brought back as President. I know some people hate the idea because that would guarantee Benning is fired immediately (there's no way Gillis would get through a conversation with Benning without calling him an idiot). But that's not going to happen. Listening to Gillis's segments on 1040, without openly saying it, I think he's fully moved on from this team and has no interest in working for the Aquilini's again.

If Krueger is the innovative progressive thinker that people claim he is, I would be happy to bring him in as our President. He would still need to find an intelligent GM to come in here and help run the team. I would like to see a lot more emphasis on analytics, as well as someone who can actually negotiate contracts. A complete revamping of our pro scouting department is needed as well.