Jim Benning

[Gurn]

32 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I just looked up right handed C's hitting UFA status: https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2021/caphit/all/center/ufa/desc/1/right

 

Its not pretty. Maybe we want to hang on to Sutter 

conversely, that list should make Sutter even more valuable to some one else.

Canucks can play

Pettersson

Horvat

Gaudette

Beagle

as regular centers with

 Miler

Motte

MacEwan

as injury replacements.

[aGENT]

1 hour ago, gurn said:

conversely, that list should make Sutter even more valuable to some one else.

Canucks can play

Pettersson

Horvat

Gaudette

Beagle

as regular centers with

 Miler

Motte

MacEwan

as injury replacements.

TDL baby!

[Lazurus]

On 5/10/2020 at 8:36 PM, mll said:

The Wild don't have playmakers let alone of Pettersson's calibre to set Boeser up.  He is unlikely to be as productive on their team.  I don't see them having interest given the possible ask and he doesn't really fit their lineup.

Until the Canucks got him neither did they. But that is no reason to not make a deal for a scoring winger, that is the traditional role for a winger after all. Boeser is there for a marketing push and a replacement for one of their old players, Parise, Koivu or Zuccarello, either for scoring or marketing. Boeser didn't have Pettersson either for awhile

 

On 5/11/2020 at 2:21 PM, mll said:

Guerin insists that he won't make a trade unless it makes them better.  Their need is young C1 and C2 - they only have Khovanov projected as top-6 C in their system.  Several promising wingers though.

Every GM wants another Gretzky, Lemeiux, Toews or Yzerman.

Every GM or at least most, hold their cards close to their chest and ask for more to start with. They need C's, yes, so do most teams but they also need young star players, their market isn't as forgiving as Vancouver's, their fans go to see winners.

 

Doesn't the lack of anything Canuck in the media seem strange with all this time and problems they have? So many RFA's to sign. What the cap is next year is almost a moot point, the team will lose some FA's but the RFA's and the FA replacements should have deals getting done, those are a given, they HAVE to get done. It won't matter if the team has a cap of 75 mil or 81 mil, FA's have to be jettisoned but the RFA's can be signed and they are assets. Even the prospects or others like Tryamkin are going to be less expensive than any current FA. I can see that no decision on Markstrom at this time, sign him and Demko will want to be traded, admit they are not signing him and Markstrom might not play good in a playoff series, but keeping both in limbo might not be great either. Demko won't feel the pressure as much as Markstrom, he is a FA after this contract so if JB signs JM he will have a 33 yr old signed for big money and a 26 yr old FA that will want a payday, that is if Seattle isn't given Demko for free.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Lazurus

[mll]

6 minutes ago, Lazurus said:

Until the Canucks got him neither did they. But that is no reason to not make a deal for a scoring winger, that is the traditional role for a winger after all. Boeser is there for a marketing push and a replacement for one of their old players, Parise, Koivu or Zuccarello, either for scoring or marketing. Boeser didn't have Pettersson either for awhile

 

Every GM wants another Gretzky, Lemeiux, Toews or Yzerman.

Every GM or at least most, hold their cards close to their chest and ask for more to start with. They need C's, yes, so do most teams but they also need young star players, their market isn't as forgiving as Vancouver's, their fans go to see winners.

 

The Wild have scored more 5v5 goals than the Canucks over the season.  After a rough October mostly on the road, the Wild have been the 2nd highest scoring team in the league.  Only Tampa had a higher goals for per game than the Wild from 1 November onwards.   Boeser is a goal scorer and scoring hasn't been an issue for the Wild.  There's no reason for them to use their assets on a player they don't really need and who doesn't help improve on their weaknesses.  

 

Fiala is emerging as a star for the Wild.  The fanbase seems head over heals for him - Russo did a poll last month in the Athletic.  Suffice also to listen to how their radio hosts are talking about him.  His teammates are gushing over him even Parise which is atypical.  Even Minnesota hockey icone Lou Nanne thinks he's the real deal and Guerin talks of how he has been spectacular.  He had a rough start on the Wild including this season but seems to have finally figured it out and is emerging as a true game breaker.  There's a real excitement around him and he's also a fun player to watch.   

 

They also have Kaprisov on the way with many observers believing he's going to make a real impact - the Wild are so confident in his ability that they moved 30-goal scorer Zucker to create room for him.  He's already a fan favourite although he has yet to play a NHL game.   

 

The Canucks are not just going to give Boeser away - he's not going to be cheap to acquire and the Wild need top-6 Cs over more wingers.  I really can't see Guerin using his best trade chips on Boeser when he doesn't fill a need.  Guerin has openly talked of how their weakness is C.

 

The Wild aren't looking to just make the playoffs but to win a Cup.  C1 and C2 are critical positions.  The last 2 Cup winner GMs McLellan and Armstrong both listed strength down the middle as one of the 5 key reasons their team finally won a Cup.  

 

Staal is 35 and his deal is up in a year.  Kunin is better suited at wing.  They have no C1 or real C2 going forward.  They have a deep prospect pool in goal and have wingers succeeding in their respective leagues but no top-6 Cs other than possibly Khovanov.  

 

[JM_]

4 minutes ago, mll said:

The Wild aren't looking to just make the playoffs but to win a Cup.  C1 and C2 are critical positions.  The last 2 Cup winner GMs McLellan and Armstrong both listed strength down the middle as one of the 5 key reasons their team finally won a Cup.  

 

Staal is 35 and his deal is up in a year.  Kunin is better suited at wing.  They have no C1 or real C2 going forward.  They have a deep prospect pool in goal and have wingers succeeding in their respective leagues but no top-6 Cs other than possibly Khovanov.  

 

I don't see how they obtain those without a large cost in a trade. There's no UFAs that fit that bill this year. They do have 2 1st round picks and if there are compliance buyouts they can make a lot of cap room to move a C1 in.... not sure from there tho. 

 

I also just don't see Benning moving Boeser, not until the end of his deal at the earliest. 

[mll]

1 minute ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I don't see how they obtain those without a large cost in a trade. There's no UFAs that fit that bill this year. They do have 2 1st round picks and if there are compliance buyouts they can make a lot of cap room to move a C1 in.... not sure from there tho. 

 

I also just don't see Benning moving Boeser, not until the end of his deal at the earliest. 

I don't see Benning moving Boeser either unless for a deal that's too good to turn down.   Don't see Minnesota interested in paying that cost.  

 

If the draft goes ahead in June NHL player trades won't be allowed.  

 

Insiders like Friedman, LeBrun have been saying Dumba could be had for a C1 or a C2 +.   I don't see the Wild breaking up their D-corps unless the trade really helps them.   They'll probably have to draft that C1.   Some teams might be caught at the cap this off-season or have internal budgets to comply with - there might be some trade opportunities there though.  

 

The Wild have enough cap space with Galchenyuk and Koivu coming off the books.   They might have 1 or 2 buyouts but they don't even have to be compliance buyouts to fit under their cap.  It's the season after where things could get tight - Fiala and Brodin are up.

 

I wonder if they'll try and sign Haula to play C2.  There's some concern that he's not fully recovered from his knee injury though.  Speed was his asset and it doesn't seem like it's quite back.  He'll probably have to take a short term deal somewhere.

 

[Lazurus]

On 5/12/2020 at 4:12 PM, mll said:

The Canucks are not just going to give Boeser away - he's not going to be cheap to acquire and the Wild need top-6 Cs over more wingers.  I really can't see Guerin using his best trade chips on Boeser when he doesn't fill a need.  Guerin has openly talked of how their weakness is C

I guess the question is Where are those top 6 centers and which teams are going to get rid of them?

 

Maybe Gaudette figures in there, a move of Guadette, Stecher and Boeser could add to the Canucks future immensely, top draft picks, maybe two firsts, Greenway and Dumba or some added in prospects. For them they reduce their cap, get two young players, one with a good reputation and both would enjoy a move closer to home. The Canucks solidify the defence making the loss of Tanev more bearable add size to the forwards and still have Horvat and Pettersson as the top two centers, Miller could fill in there as well, the move opens up some cap space depending on Dumba's cap hit and they still have Sutter as a 3rd center for another couple of years, two additional first round picks to find another center(s) and it doesn't slow the rebuild time.

 

On other issues, other GM's are working on the premise that the cap will stay the same and not go down, why not here? Over too much? The FA's are all on the auction block and with the team almost making the playoffs by way of points this season but struggling mightily the last 2 months when the playoff push came from other teams, those FA's may not be something to go "all in" on. Other teams are signing fringe and depth players at least. By saying he doesn't know what the cap will be isn't the same as using his vast experience and league contacts that he cannot have an educated guess. So many of the moves needed are so big regardless of whatever the cap is because of the cap crunch the team is facing so he should be able to determine the "bottom line" and sign some of the players the team will nedd next year.

 

Now I can understand some of the silence because some moves may p**s off some on the team now and their performance might degrade but these are not children, they have smart agents too and can see the writing on the wall so not doing anything will make those players even more antsy wondering what s going on.

 

With all this uncertainty now is the time for firm leadership and decisiveness not a rambling, "I don't know" or "I will wait and see". The FA's will play hard regardless because they will all want to cash in on their last contract's, contracts that the Canucks cannot compete for, some players may want to be closer to home after this virus, just in case or because it has put the value of family under a magnifying glass. Fans like to think they are tied to a team like they are but these guys are professionals and for the FA's it is their last chance to make a big pay day.

[mll]

12 hours ago, Lazurus said:

I guess the question is Where are those top 6 centers and which teams are going to get rid of them?

 

Maybe Gaudette figures in there, a move of Guadette, Stecher and Boeser could add to the Canucks future immensely, top draft picks, maybe two firsts, Greenway and Dumba or some added in prospects. For them they reduce their cap, get two young players, one with a good reputation and both would enjoy a move closer to home. The Canucks solidify the defence making the loss of Tanev more bearable add size to the forwards and still have Horvat and Pettersson as the top two centers, Miller could fill in there as well, the move opens up some cap space depending on Dumba's cap hit and they still have Sutter as a 3rd center for another couple of years, two additional first round picks to find another center(s) and it doesn't slow the rebuild time.

 

On other issues, other GM's are working on the premise that the cap will stay the same and not go down, why not here? Over too much? The FA's are all on the auction block and with the team almost making the playoffs by way of points this season but struggling mightily the last 2 months when the playoff push came from other teams, those FA's may not be something to go "all in" on. Other teams are signing fringe and depth players at least. By saying he doesn't know what the cap will be isn't the same as using his vast experience and league contacts that he cannot have an educated guess. So many of the moves needed are so big regardless of whatever the cap is because of the cap crunch the team is facing so he should be able to determine the "bottom line" and sign some of the players the team will nedd next year.

 

Now I can understand some of the silence because some moves may p**s off some on the team now and their performance might degrade but these are not children, they have smart agents too and can see the writing on the wall so not doing anything will make those players even more antsy wondering what s going on.

 

With all this uncertainty now is the time for firm leadership and decisiveness not a rambling, "I don't know" or "I will wait and see". The FA's will play hard regardless because they will all want to cash in on their last contract's, contracts that the Canucks cannot compete for, some players may want to be closer to home after this virus, just in case or because it has put the value of family under a magnifying glass. Fans like to think they are tied to a team like they are but these guys are professionals and for the FA's it is their last chance to make a big pay day.

 

The Wild are far better off keeping their picks and drafting those Cs.

 

I really don't see Guerin breaking up a D-corps he calls elite for pieces they don't need.  Guerin has talked multiple times about how he's not going to rush into anything and that he won't make a deal just to make a deal.

 

NHL player trades will in any case not be allowed if the draft happens before the playoffs are completed. That was part of the league's memo on a possible June draft.  

 

I also doubt Dumba would be the kind of D to help the Canucks.  There are several indications through advanced tracking but also simple heat maps that show the Canucks to be one of the worst defensive teams in the league - they've been bailed out by Markstrom.  Minnesota is one of the best defensive teams and he has his teammates that can help cover his lapses - no such thing in Vancouver.

 

The Canucks is the team that has allowed the 2nd most rush scoring chances against this season according to Sportlogiq' video tracking software.  Too often they are caught flat footed in the o-zone and don't have the speed to get back.  Dumba would likely just amplify the issue.

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by mll

[189lb enforcers?]

It’d be good to hear from Benning, with Aquaman, in some PR interviews. Now would be a good time to talk team vision, planning, cap, organizational structure and player health. 
 

Solidarity. It’s just optics; appeasing the fanbase. 
 

Is this a time to address the supposed toxic media or even talk about rifts and other nontravesy? 

Edited May 15, 2020 by 189lb enforcers?

[JM_]

31 minutes ago, 189lb enforcers? said:

It’d be good to hear from Benning, with Aquaman, in some PR interviews. Now would be a good time to talk team vision, planning, cap, organizational structure and player health. 
 

Solidarity. It’s just optics; appeasing the fanbase. 
 

Is this a time to address the supposed toxic media or even talk about rifts and other nontravesy? 

they can't do that. It plays into the hands of the 1040 trolls and their little twitter army. If they address it directly it will just get worse.

 

We should start getting some clarity soon. If they pick BC e.g., to play out the NHL season then pretty soon after  that they'll know what the tv revenue will be, and then set the cap, then the draft date. So maybe 2-3 weeks or so and we should know all we need to. 

[189lb enforcers?]

10 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

they can't do that. It plays into the hands of the 1040 trolls and their little twitter army. If they address it directly it will just get worse.

 

We should start getting some clarity soon. If they pick BC e.g., to play out the NHL season then pretty soon after  that they'll know what the tv revenue will be, and then set the cap, then the draft date. So maybe 2-3 weeks or so and we should know all we need to. 

Not that I disagree, but that it sophistry lol. You’re probably right though. 

Still, I think some PR work could be done, however narrow it is focused, like draft strategy, whatever... 
 

Now is the one time when the exec might actually have time to have the PR team work some magic and craft a way to draw those trolls out into the open and let them have at it.
 

Good idea? Maybe not. Doing/saying nothing is more of the Canucks’ norm, we should know. They stay mum unless it’s to quell some rumours, then they recognize the media being the culprit. Reactive, passive even.
 

Gillis sure did a lot of PR early on. It was a disaster.
Maybe Orca knows better than I do, which isn’t saying much... 

Edited May 15, 2020 by 189lb enforcers?

[JM_]

16 minutes ago, 189lb enforcers? said:

Not that I disagree, but that it sophistry lol. You’re probably right though. 

Still, I think some PR work could be done, however narrow it is focused, like draft strategy, whatever... 
 

Now is the one time when the exec might actually have time to have the PR team work some magic and craft a way to draw those trolls out into the open and let them have at it.
 

Good idea? Maybe not. Doing/saying nothing is more of the Canucks’ norm, we should know. They stay mum unless it’s to quell some rumours, then they recognize the media being the culprit. Reactive, passive even.
 

Gillis sure did a lot of PR early on. It was a disaster.
Maybe Orca knows better than I do, which isn’t saying much... 

they can't win. You ignore it you're criticized. You address it and you give it life. IMO the asshats at 1040 have treated the team pretty badly, even after the switch over to 650 Benning still does a ton of media with them when he could have just told them to go pound sand. And yet there's a couple of guys over there that just flat out lie about stories.

 

Banning's not much of a PR guy, but Linden wasn't really either. Gillis was probably a lot better at it tho. 

 

[RowdyCanuck]

On May 14, 2020 at 11:05 AM, Lazurus said:

I guess the question is Where are those top 6 centers and which teams are going to get rid of them?

 

Maybe Gaudette figures in there, a move of Guadette, Stecher and Boeser could add to the Canucks future immensely, top draft picks, maybe two firsts, Greenway and Dumba or some added in prospects. For them they reduce their cap, get two young players, one with a good reputation and both would enjoy a move closer to home. The Canucks solidify the defence making the loss of Tanev more bearable add size to the forwards and still have Horvat and Pettersson as the top two centers, Miller could fill in there as well, the move opens up some cap space depending on Dumba's cap hit and they still have Sutter as a 3rd center for another couple of years, two additional first round picks to find another center(s) and it doesn't slow the rebuild time.

 

On other issues, other GM's are working on the premise that the cap will stay the same and not go down, why not here? Over too much? The FA's are all on the auction block and with the team almost making the playoffs by way of points this season but struggling mightily the last 2 months when the playoff push came from other teams, those FA's may not be something to go "all in" on. Other teams are signing fringe and depth players at least. By saying he doesn't know what the cap will be isn't the same as using his vast experience and league contacts that he cannot have an educated guess. So many of the moves needed are so big regardless of whatever the cap is because of the cap crunch the team is facing so he should be able to determine the "bottom line" and sign some of the players the team will nedd next year.

 

Now I can understand some of the silence because some moves may p**s off some on the team now and their performance might degrade but these are not children, they have smart agents too and can see the writing on the wall so not doing anything will make those players even more antsy wondering what s going on.

 

With all this uncertainty now is the time for firm leadership and decisiveness not a rambling, "I don't know" or "I will wait and see". The FA's will play hard regardless because they will all want to cash in on their last contract's, contracts that the Canucks cannot compete for, some players may want to be closer to home after this virus, just in case or because it has put the value of family under a magnifying glass. Fans like to think they are tied to a team like they are but these guys are professionals and for the FA's it is their last chance to make a big pay day.

I was thinking Canucks should pull a trade off like when the pens got Kessel.......

I wonder what the price would look like for Getz and josh Manson from the ducks and maybe Brock could help get the pieces we need......

if the ducks eat some cap on Getz we could be set down the middle for awhile and have two play making centres and Bo. 

Pens showed you need playing making centres to win......

not to mention Josh Manson beside thuggy bear would be awesome. 

[Squamfan]

 

Confirmed that bust in the first round in 2016 was a Benning pick, and ever since he has went with Bracketts decision on picks. So we want to keep the guy who picked Petty, Hudges, Gaudette, etc or Give control to the guy who picked the biggest bust in this teams history.

[iceman64]

On 3/2/2020 at 9:26 AM, Zigmund.Palffy said:

Man we hired someone to deal with our cap situation, benning has a plan let it play it out and see what they have up their sleeves 

Shhhhh I'm doing that and I can't wait to say "told you so"  Jimbo is all about the next 2-3 as the team moves ahead and matures and just making the playoffs during that time even if it's a short In and out but after a few years with tweeks and the on ice "mentors" contracts have been filled with upgrades from development and trades we'll finally take that run we're all waiting for... Has it been painful to watch it all set up to even get near what we already have now? Course but imo if Marky is signed and keeps his stock up until Demko and MD are ready we could trade him for a top 6 D, and Toffoli signed then we continue to build our D as we go..  wow.. will be fun to watch..

 

And how soon we forget we clobbered Boston 9-3, not bad for a team 60-70 percent done building.. 

 

 

[DeNiro]

On 5/15/2020 at 2:01 PM, Squamfan said:

 

Confirmed that bust in the first round in 2016 was a Benning pick, and ever since he has went with Bracketts decision on picks. So we want to keep the guy who picked Petty, Hudges, Gaudette, etc or Give control to the guy who picked the biggest bust in this teams history.

So you believe that this tweet confirms that Brackett made every pick after 2016?

 

Lol. You must be a yoga master because I’ve never seen a stretch like that.

 

Also Gaudette was 2015 along with Boeser, so based own your own “evidence” that would give Benning credit for them.

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by DeNiro

[ruilin96]

On 5/15/2020 at 2:01 PM, Squamfan said:

 

Confirmed that bust in the first round in 2016 was a Benning pick, and ever since he has went with Bracketts decision on picks. So we want to keep the guy who picked Petty, Hudges, Gaudette, etc or Give control to the guy who picked the biggest bust in this teams history.

I don't consider someone who's pegged by injuries at a young age to be consider a bust. In hindsight, we can all agree 2016 pick was the wrong choice, but we can't just label a kid who has to deal with injuries a bust. This just isn't fair. Also, the biggest bust in team history is Patrick White. That guy has no business to be even drafted let alone in the first round.

[JM_]

9 minutes ago, ruilin96 said:

I don't consider someone who's pegged by injuries at a young age to be consider a bust. In hindsight, we can all agree 2016 pick was the wrong choice, but we can't just label a kid who has to deal with injuries a bust. This just isn't fair. Also, the biggest bust in team history is Patrick White. That guy has no business to be even drafted let alone in the first round.

it isn't fair. Its just bad luck. Plus OJ just turned 22 a couple of weeks ago. At 23 he might be in our top 6, by 24 in our top 4. The kids been a very good player when he has been healthy. 

[Lazurus]

On 5/17/2020 at 8:35 PM, iceman64 said:

And how soon we forget we clobbered Boston 9-3, not bad for a team 60-70 percent done building..

You have to take all the circumstances into account.

Boston had a flu bug

It was their third game in four nights

 

The win was only one of four in the last 11 games.

 

The score was higher than expected but it was not a surprise really.

 

With all the old vets on the team 60 to 70 percent is pretty close to a final rebuild, just another 5 players under 25 and it should be done as far as age, now skill with all those might be a question.

On 5/17/2020 at 9:15 PM, Jimmy McGill said:

it isn't fair. Its just bad luck. Plus OJ just turned 22 a couple of weeks ago. At 23 he might be in our top 6, by 24 in our top 4. The kids been a very good player when he has been healthy. 

For whatever reasons his stats do not reflect your optimism from the year after his draft onward. Boeser had a more serious back injury and he came back months earlier, the same with Edler.

Unfortunately OJ will simply be a miss, many professional hockey people don't rate him as a top four anymore but it not his fault that he was drafted at #5 and in front of a few future star players.

It is true that defence men can take longer to develop, but he can't pivot and he is still really slow. 

[Fred65]

2 hours ago, Lazurus said:

You have to take all the circumstances into account.

Boston had a flu bug

It was their third game in four nights

 

The win was only one of four in the last 11 games.

 

The score was higher than expected but it was not a surprise really.

 

With all the old vets on the team 60 to 70 percent is pretty close to a final rebuild, just another 5 players under 25 and it should be done as far as age, now skill with all those might be a question.

For whatever reasons his stats do not reflect your optimism from the year after his draft onward. Boeser had a more serious back injury and he came back months earlier, the same with Edler.

Unfortunately OJ will simply be a miss, many professional hockey people don't rate him as a top four anymore but it not his fault that he was drafted at #5 and in front of a few future star players.

It is true that defence men can take longer to develop, but he can't pivot and he is still really slow. 

You have to hand it to Vcr management they've been extremely patient with Juolevi. That has to end soon, you can't just keep working on the bases of hope. It's a conundrum for JB, what next. I doubt if there are many enquiries for OJ especially with this upcoming Cap Hell for most teams. I can't see many alternatives for management, they threw Hutton under the bus and he actually played in the NHL and indeed still does. It's a head scratcher