NewbieCanuckFan

Quinn had double the problem. No cap but ownership that wouldn't give him free reign to spend money like Gillis & Benning had (at least when ownership got in over their heads with the NBA team expenses). edit: I *still* think Garland is a good (supporting) piece. At least on a contending team (granted his salary is a bit off).

In fairness to Nonis, he was the GM that drafted Grabner. He's the tweener that Gillis let go for that HUGE mistake deal (Ballard). I think Nonis' time as GM actually is a bit underrated here. Also was the GM that signed free agent Mitchell (compare that to the free agent defensemen that Benning signed here). As well, at least he knew hire a real NHL head coach. Benning took 7 years & still couldn't figure it out. Nonis never had the advantage of high 1st round picks unlike the guys that followed him. Bourdon was his highest pick (10th overall). As for the subject of this thread.....I agree with you. A worthy gamble (not like we dealt them a 1st round pick). Not all of them work out .

No argument there (though you did leave out 24 year old Markstrom who would go on to come in 2nd place in Vezina votes the season after he left the Canucks (yeah, he's flamed out but that was several years later & it's not like it was from a recurring injury he suffered as a Canuck). Plus, significantly different priorites as Gillis for most of his time was hired to take the Canucks to the next level. That wasn't Benning's job for much of his time here (I'll give him a 'mulligan' when the Sedins were still under contract & it's not like those two were that huge an anchor as they were largely responsible for one of the two times the Canucks made the post-season under Benning's watch). Look at the state of the farm club when Alvin/JR came aboard. As empty as it was under Gillis. No excuse there (imho). Blueline a complete mess outside of generational talent Hughes (who somehow was able to develop under AHL coaching that Benning was responsible for). Myers wasn't a flop but he's in exact same state as Bieksa was (imho) when Benning came aboard. I don't think bad groan Garrison is mentioned much (in a negative light) because he fetched us a 2nd round pick without taking any garbage back. Either that's a testament to Benning's abilities to trade a bad asset for a real asset or maybe he actually had that value (in spite of the NTC). Garrison played top 4 minutes for the Bolts before that groan gave out (ouch, that hurts me even to say that. Both GM's ultimately failed (for different reasons as each had different objectives). Pat Quinn is still the benchmark to beat in rebuilding a club. And it's not even close. IMHO.

Like how Alvin/JR was handed a team with lots of long term contracts with NTCs on the books and no farm at all?

Those two really don't belong in the same sentence. Bo was like Ritchie Cunningham (ok but 'hum drum'). Virtanen was Potsie Weber. Kesler only issue was that he didn't know when to 'pace himself'. He had only one speed setting - turbo mode

So he's afraid of 'living in a fishbowl environment' but it obviously doesn't bother him to play in a reckless style delivering cheapshot/questionable hits. He can go **** himself.

Damn, imagine how Curt Fraser, then Captain of the Victoria Cougars had to feel lining up against Steamer before a faceoff knowing if he could get past Stan (which he could) only to face a monster like Beck on the blueline.

Imagine have more than one defensive pairing (any pairing Hughes is on is the other sound D pairing) that isn't bleeding scoring chances against? Add that with Tocchet's coaching.

It means one less 3rd pairing defenseman on the team taking top 4 minutes. That's a huge plus in my books.

Again, Mitchell was offered a contract by Gillis. Mitchell took the better offer from LA. Mitchell chose not to retire as a Canuck (and rightly so from his POV). Gillis biggest mistake was not using a buyout on Ballard *ASAP*(which was apparent pretty quick it was an TERRIBLE acquisition).

He was (imho) just a stop-gap hiring. The "success" in his first post-season as head coach kind of caught management offguard and they felt they had no choice but to give him a contract extension. But again, just my speculation. As for Green, EP was going nowhere fast under him (again imho) & looking like a mere shadow of his self. Green had to go.

Mitchell *was* offered a contract. Only it was only a one year contract. Sounds reasonable (from the POV of management) since he wasn't yet cleared to play to my knowledge at the time of the offering. Mitchell naturally was looking for security & wanted a longer term deal. This wasn't like letting Tanev & Edler walk without offering them anyhow (forget losing them as assets for...nothing). No question that Ballard was a *HORRIBLE* pro scouting evaluation. You'd think a guy that was his head coach (Bowness) would've known that he would've been an *AWFUL* fit for the team.

Only one of the three were offered a contract before they decided to go elsewhere.

Nah, you just don't get it. He's like the regular fan. A common man.

Actually Booth wasn't all that bad for us & producing at what you'd expect from a 2nd line winger. That is until that cheapshot knee-on-knee hit by that Avs player (I forgot the player's name). He was just a little weird.

Anybody remember when Vic Rapp looked like he was having a stroke in the after game presser/interview following a game where the Esks (those hall of famer Hugh Campbell teams) pasted the Lions?

And yet he took the life of another in a moment of anger. That is not the way of a Shaolin Priest. Do you hear the grasshopper which is at your feet?

1) I don't. 2) I follow the ways of Kwai Chang Caine:

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We're safe as long as Santa is alive!