[Confirmed] Jim Benning signs as new Canucks GM

[jdatb]

You obviously don't watch Canuck games if you think Hamhuis,Bieksa,Higgins are slow. Hey how about that slow plodding team in LA that just beat the speedy Hawks to move into the SCF.

This. If there's any team slower than the Canucks, it's LA.

[Tearloch7]

'It ain't always how fast you are, it's what you do when you get there' .. to paraphrase Foghorn Leghorn

[aGENT]

Listen my points were that up to now the two key statements from Benning, I mean other than "I will have to get used to the rain again" are that he really likes the core of the team and that he wants to play an up tempo game. The Sedins may have 'elite' conditioning but they are slow, you can spin it the way you want, they can't counterattack with speed, which is at the heart of the uptempo game. If you think the uptempo game is to cycle until you wear out your opponents, I think you misunderstand the concept. Plus, it's not just the Sedins who are not fast, it's Burrows, it's Higgins, it's Bieksa, it's Hamhuis... The Canucks as a team are one of the slowest in the league, you can argue that if you want but it's easy to see when you watch the games. So, my point is that I am not impressed with a new GM that really likes a core that is spent and over the hill and given that, wants to employ a style of play not suited to that group.

Hey welcome to the board and the sport of hockey. It's a really fun game played on a sheet of ice (200'x85' wide with 28' radius corners in the NHL).

At even strength each team is allowed a goalie, two defensemen and three forwards on the ice.

Oh heck...it's probably quicker for me to just post the wiki link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hockey

Happy reading and again, welcome to the best sport on the planet! Feel free to ask us any questions

[6YPE]

well then let's keep it simple, what has impressed you about Benning up to now?

Lets see, he played at the NHL level as a player, has been head of scouting for at least one NHL club, has been the assistant GM and won the cup with the Bruins and now is the GM of the Vancouver Canucks, sounds pretty impressive to me... what have you done thats impressive in comparison?... nothing, spewed some goo about how he hasnt made some great announcement to you about what he really thinks is gloing on with this team. By the way, hows your team doing??.. won the cup yet?? Or is it hard managing a team from your moms basement??

He's not going to tell you they are old and slow. He will tell you that he wants an up tempo team, even if they do not have the pesonnel to do this right now, it doesnt mean thats not his long term plan.

He hasnt been on the job long, hasnt had time to even fully evaluate the team and youre asking what has impressed to this point??..

Maybe give the guy a few minutes to figure out whats going on, make a few moves, get the season started and see where the team is at.

[wallstreetamigo]

I like the fact that Benning/Linden seem to have a clear direction in mind as to what identity and style they want the team to have. Getting there will be tough of course given the current personnel but it is at least a stark contrast to Gillis the last few years who did not even seem to know either of those things..

[wallstreetamigo]

And his track record having experience in scouting and AGM roles are enough for me right now after Gillis.

[oldnews]

Listen my points were that up to now the two key statements from Benning, I mean other than "I will have to get used to the rain again" are that he really likes the core of the team and that he wants to play an up tempo game. The Sedins may have 'elite' conditioning but they are slow, you can spin it the way you want, they can't counterattack with speed, which is at the heart of the uptempo game. If you think the uptempo game is to cycle until you wear out your opponents, I think you misunderstand the concept. Plus, it's not just the Sedins who are not fast, it's Burrows, it's Higgins, it's Bieksa, it's Hamhuis... The Canucks as a team are one of the slowest in the league, you can argue that if you want but it's easy to see when you watch the games. So, my point is that I am not impressed with a new GM that really likes a core that is spent and over the hill and given that, wants to employ a style of play not suited to that group.

You can dig in deeper and deeper all you want - attempting to suggest that guys like Higgins and Bieksa are slow only highlight how weak your attempts to devalue the roster are - and again, to make the point as simple as possible, the puck moves faster than any skater, and most people familiar with the game of hockey are fairly aware that the puck is moved in more ways that one - putting the puck on the stick of a fast puck carrier is only one element of an up tempo game.

What didn't fit this team was the collapsing zone that Tortorella is married to - it's not really a mystery why his Rags and then the Canucks suffered from a woeful transition game.

As for suggesting that Benning is dumb, I'm not surprised (or concerned in the least) there are a number of posters here who come to that kind of small minded conclusion. I think it says more abou the mindset of the observer than the observed.

[Boudrias]

You can dig in deeper and deeper all you want - attempting to suggest that guys like Higgins and Bieksa are slow only highlight how weak your attempts to devalue the roster are - and again, to make the point as simple as possible, the puck moves faster than any skater, and most people familiar with the game of hockey are fairly aware that the puck is moved in more ways that one - putting the puck on the stick of a fast puck carrier is only one element of an up tempo game.

What didn't fit this team was the collapsing zone that Tortorella is married to - it's not really a mystery why his Rags and then the Canucks suffered from a woeful transition game.

As for suggesting that Benning is dumb, I'm not surprised (or concerned in the least) there are a number of posters here who come to that kind of small minded conclusion. I think it says more abou the mindset of the observer than the observed.

I like your thinking!

[coastal1]

This. If there's any team slower than the Canucks, it's LA.

Doughty, Kopitar, Gaborik, Stoll, Williams, Pearson, Toffoli, Carter, Muzzin, Martinez all faster than any of the Canucks core. LA slower than the Canucks! Wow, the blinders are on big time. And if Benning thinks the Canucks are a fast team, it's going to be a tough few years before he gets fired.

[coastal1]

You can dig in deeper and deeper all you want - attempting to suggest that guys like Higgins and Bieksa are slow only highlight how weak your attempts to devalue the roster are - and again, to make the point as simple as possible, the puck moves faster than any skater, and most people familiar with the game of hockey are fairly aware that the puck is moved in more ways that one - putting the puck on the stick of a fast puck carrier is only one element of an up tempo game.

What didn't fit this team was the collapsing zone that Tortorella is married to - it's not really a mystery why his Rags and then the Canucks suffered from a woeful transition game.

As for suggesting that Benning is dumb, I'm not surprised (or concerned in the least) there are a number of posters here who come to that kind of small minded conclusion. I think it says more abou the mindset of the observer than the observed.

Yes the puck can move fastest with passing but there has to be someone there to receive the pass! The Sedins pass to each other mostly on the cycle (not only on the cycle but mostly on the cycle). Kesler, the second line center, doesn't pass the puck. Bieksa makes a decent first pass (I agree, this is totally necessary for an uptempo game) but Garrison and Edler are just not puck movers. The Canucks just don't have the players necessary for an uptempo game. They are a puck possession team, cycling specialists. Tortorella tried to make them into a high pressure team and that was an absolute disaster.

[6YPE]

Yes the puck can move fastest with passing but there has to be someone there to receive the pass! The Sedins pass to each other mostly on the cycle (not only on the cycle but mostly on the cycle). Kesler, the second line center, doesn't pass the puck. Bieksa makes a decent first pass (I agree, this is totally necessary for an uptempo game) but Garrison and Edler are just not puck movers. The Canucks just don't have the players necessary for an uptempo game. They are a puck possession team, cycling specialists. Tortorella tried to make them into a high pressure team and that was an absolute disaster.

Since you obviously didnt see my post earlier I will say it again. Just because they dont necessarily have the exact pieces they would like (or what you think they should) have for an up tempo type of team, it doesnt mean they cant make this into an up tempo team. Give it some time, he hasnt even had time to take his shoes off and you're already complaining.

[aqua59]

Yes the puck can move fastest with passing but there has to be someone there to receive the pass! The Sedins pass to each other mostly on the cycle (not only on the cycle but mostly on the cycle). Kesler, the second line center, doesn't pass the puck. Bieksa makes a decent first pass (I agree, this is totally necessary for an uptempo game) but Garrison and Edler are just not puck movers. The Canucks just don't have the players necessary for an uptempo game. They are a puck possession team, cycling specialists. Tortorella tried to make them into a high pressure team and that was an absolute disaster.

Yup. I was all for Tortarella but soon realized it was like you put it, a disaster. I'm tired of eating crow for being an advocate for both Torts and Gillis but your statement m says it simply.

Absolute disaster. There's good management in place that hasn't panicked like many CDCer's, Linden and Co at least are going to play the style of the players they have until they retool with a different cast.

[coastal1]

Yup. I was all for Tortarella but soon realized it was like you put it, a disaster. I'm tired of eating crow for being an advocate for both Torts and Gillis but your statement m says it simply.

Absolute disaster. There's good management in place that hasn't panicked like many CDCer's, Linden and Co at least are going to play the style of the players they have until they retool with a different cast.

Wel I hope your right. I haven't been very impressed to date so I hope this is not Gillis #2. We will know a lot more in the next month or so with the draft and free agency. I just hope he doesn't fall in love with the core and try to give them one more chance.

[oldnews]

Doughty, Kopitar, Gaborik, Stoll, Williams, Pearson, Toffoli, Carter, Muzzin, Martinez all faster than any of the Canucks core. LA slower than the Canucks! Wow, the blinders are on big time. And if Benning thinks the Canucks are a fast team, it's going to be a tough few years before he gets fired.

That is ridiculous. Is there a single guy you've named that is faster than Kesler? Are you having fun yet?

[oldnews]

Yes the puck can move fastest with passing but there has to be someone there to receive the pass! The Sedins pass to each other mostly on the cycle (not only on the cycle but mostly on the cycle). Kesler, the second line center, doesn't pass the puck. Bieksa makes a decent first pass (I agree, this is totally necessary for an uptempo game) but Garrison and Edler are just not puck movers. The Canucks just don't have the players necessary for an uptempo game. They are a puck possession team, cycling specialists. Tortorella tried to make them into a high pressure team and that was an absolute disaster.

The Sedins wait until they're in the cycle before they engage in most of their passing the puck? That is rich.

Claiming that a team is a 'puck possession' team is not a counterpoint to playing an up tempo game. The Kings, who you're trying to sell as a 'fast' team, are a puck possession team. Pretending Benning has no parts with which to build an up tempo style, or that two cycling 'specialists' preclude an up tempo game is nonsense. Attempting to suggest that Benning lacks hockey intelligence is also ironing.

Tortorella was a disaster for a whole lot of reasons. The only "high pressure" aspect of the game that Tortorella was coaching was his overly aggressive 2-1-2 forecheck, which he depended upon far too exclusively to produce offense and generate ozone possession. Otherwise, there was a lack of transition game, and far, far too much dump and chase/dump and change. That aggressive forecheck is a part of the game where forwards without a great deal of foot speed are at a disadvantage - a misfit of systems for the Canucks top line imo - and unfortunately, Tortorella seemed to take a cookie cutter approach to the way he used virtually his entire lineup (except in the sense of the extent to which he used them - overutilizing the top end, and underutilizing the depth). Aside from that aggressive forecheck, once it was broken down, the Canucks were anything but 'high pressure', collapsing into signature Tortorella zone passivity, lacking puck pressure, and dropping the forwards down too low to pose much threat of a transition game. The contradiction between the forecheck and the dzone approaches is a bit of a head scratcher that is hard to make sense of. Worst of all was watching the months long fire drill inside their own blueline. I can't say how relieved I am that failed experiment is over.

[coastal1]

That is ridiculous. Is there a single guy you've named that is faster than Kesler? Are you having fun yet?

All of them are as fast as Kesler and Kesler is the only fast player on the Canucks. One player makes the Canucks a fast team? Are you having any fun in your dream world? I suppose you will say next that the last 3 seasons have been a bad stretch for the Sedins and they will rebound to their true form next year.

[oldnews]

All of them are as fast as Kesler and Kesler is the only fast player on the Canucks. One player makes the Canucks a fast team? Are you having any fun in your dream world? I suppose you will say next that the last 3 seasons have been a bad stretch for the Sedins and they will rebound to their true form next year.

m. k.

[Canorth]

The Sedins wait until they're in the cycle before they engage in most of their passing the puck? That is rich.

Claiming that a team is a 'puck possession' team is not a counterpoint to playing an up tempo game. The Kings, who you're trying to sell as a 'fast' team, are a puck possession team. Pretending Benning has no parts with which to build an up tempo style, or that two cycling 'specialists' preclude an up tempo game is nonsense. Attempting to suggest that Benning lacks hockey intelligence is also ironing.

Tortorella was a disaster for a whole lot of reasons. The only "high pressure" aspect of the game that Tortorella was coaching was his overly aggressive 2-1-2 forecheck, which he depended upon far too exclusively to produce offense and generate ozone possession. Otherwise, there was a lack of transition game, and far, far too much dump and chase/dump and change. That aggressive forecheck is a part of the game where forwards without a great deal of foot speed are at a disadvantage - a misfit of systems for the Canucks top line imo - and unfortunately, Tortorella seemed to take a cookie cutter approach to the way he used virtually his entire lineup (except in the sense of the extent to which he used them - overutilizing the top end, and underutilizing the depth). Aside from that aggressive forecheck, once it was broken down, the Canucks were anything but 'high pressure', collapsing into signature Tortorella zone passivity, lacking puck pressure, and dropping the forwards down too low to pose much threat of a transition game. The contradiction between the forecheck and the dzone approaches is a bit of a head scratcher that is hard to make sense of. Worst of all was watching the months long fire drill inside their own blueline. I can't say how relieved I am that failed experiment is over.

Seriously, why bother? He is just growing fat off of these replies.

[coastal1]

The Sedins wait until they're in the cycle before they engage in most of their passing the puck? That is rich.

Claiming that a team is a 'puck possession' team is not a counterpoint to playing an up tempo game. The Kings, who you're trying to sell as a 'fast' team, are a puck possession team. Pretending Benning has no parts with which to build an up tempo style, or that two cycling 'specialists' preclude an up tempo game is nonsense. Attempting to suggest that Benning lacks hockey intelligence is also ironing.

Tortorella was a disaster for a whole lot of reasons. The only "high pressure" aspect of the game that Tortorella was coaching was his overly aggressive 2-1-2 forecheck, which he depended upon far too exclusively to produce offense and generate ozone possession. Otherwise, there was a lack of transition game, and far, far too much dump and chase/dump and change. That aggressive forecheck is a part of the game where forwards without a great deal of foot speed are at a disadvantage - a misfit of systems for the Canucks top line imo - and unfortunately, Tortorella seemed to take a cookie cutter approach to the way he used virtually his entire lineup (except in the sense of the extent to which he used them - overutilizing the top end, and underutilizing the depth). Aside from that aggressive forecheck, once it was broken down, the Canucks were anything but 'high pressure', collapsing into signature Tortorella zone passivity, lacking puck pressure, and dropping the forwards down too low to pose much threat of a transition game. The contradiction between the forecheck and the dzone approaches is a bit of a head scratcher that is hard to make sense of.

So in your world, the Sedins are quick counter attack players? The Kings counter attack with speed. Chicago simply could not handle the speed of the first two lines of LA and Chicago is not slow. The Carter line is very fast and so is Kopitar plus Gaborik. Richards is slow and he hardly plays anymore (10 or so minutes a game). I don't know how anybody can compare the speed of the Canucks with that of LA. The bottom line is the NHL has become a very fast league and LA has been to the SCF in two of the last 3 years. How many playoff series have the speedy Canucks won in the last three years? How many playoff games have they won would be a fairer question (answer: one win).

[Canorth]

So in your world, the Sedins are quick counter attack players? The Kings counter attack with speed. Chicago simply could not handle the speed of the first two lines of LA and Chicago is not slow. The Carter line is very fast and so is Kopitar plus Gaborik. Richards is slow and he hardly plays anymore (10 or so minutes a game). I don't know how anybody can compare the speed of the Canucks with that of LA. The bottom line is the NHL has become a very fast league and LA has been to the SCF in two of the last 3 years. How many playoff series have the speedy Canucks won in the last three years? How many playoff games have they won would be a fairer question (answer: one win).

See!