Lol what else does the guy have to do to get your approval.
Draft a Franchise C- check
Draft a Franchise D- check
Draft Elite Winger- check
Draft Calder Finalist/Winner 3 years in a row- Check
JT Miller for 20th pick- 71 st pick and AHL goalie- check
Nate Schmidt for 3rd round pick- check
Tanner Pearson for Erik Gufbranson - check
Tyler Motte for Thomas Vanek- check
The grass isny always greener. If your biggest complaint about Bening is him over-paying for botttom 6 players and free agents well then Canucks are sitting pretty. Every team has over-paid bums but not everyteam has the foundational pieces the Canucks do at the age that the core is.
Even when Schmidt was interviewed today he said he buzz in the bubble was the young Canucks and the style of hockey they play and their bright future.
I think you may have misunderstood my post. I simply mentioned that this trade was a gift from VGK, and wouldn’t significantly change my opinion of Benning. I don’t think I actually gave my opinion of Benning though.
Personally I think Benning is an above average-to-good GM. He has his strengths and weaknesses (eg Maybe a B- or a C+).
His vision for his Canucks and building them up is very good (draft picks, roster personnel and play style, culture).
Trades have been mixed, some good some bad. Has given up a lot of a picks for a team that was rebuilding for that many years.
Contracts and cap management have been particularly weak, and has been the main criticism over the past year and offseason. Paying the amount of money they are for bottom line players (Eriksson, Sutter, Beagle, Ferland, Roussel), to the extent you cannot retain key players or acquire upgrades is unacceptable.
After this offseason and the departures I don’t think the Canucks will suddenly become a bottom 3 team again, but barring another big leap in Pettersson/Hughes development its hard to see how they’ll be better team.
Considering the year and playoffs they had management should have been in a position to build on that, bolster the roster to make strides as a legit playoff contender rather than what likely will be a bubble team again.
Benning has built a contending core, but remains to be seen if he is the GM that can take them to the next level an build a champion caliber team.
Based on their key players over the next 3-5 years, Vancouver should be in a position to be right up there with Colorado as the class of the West. Ask anyone who you’d rather have at the helm, I think it would be Sakic by a landslide.
Over the long run there is a difference between good and great teams.