Not So Nice Mr. Benning? Goody!

[Specter's Vengeance]

I was reading the slew of reports about Benning being confirmed for Friday as our new (and improved) GM. I am beyond pleased Trevor and the team were able to get the man they sought after and I hope that a sign for our future. Now whilst reading I came across an article regarding Benning I didn't see posted on here yet about Benning and the Bruins TV series that helped Boston fans get an inside look at the team a couple years ago.

Heres the article and I would suggest giving it a good thorough read before continuing: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Botchford+know+Canucks/9860757/story.html

Now, If you look at the article you get a sense of how cold and calculated he can apparently be. This, to me, is an essential part of the managerial skills needed in the GM position. No emotional connection to any of your players in the sense that it may stop you from making important decisions for the franchise. I cant say for sure about Gillis because I havent done any research on it but is it possible that Gillis was far too "attached" to some players to let them leave? Or was it simply miscalculation on his part of value to players he wished to trade? I guess hes the only guy who knows for sure.

To those out there, If this is posted somewhere else I apologize in advance. I promise I looked for it before posting but was unsuccessful at finding it. Thanks for the read and Best of luck to our new GM Benning to make the hard decisions for our teams future and continued success.

Go Canucks! Go!

[Undrafted]

Sorry, but the minute I realized that the article was written by Botchford, I disregarded the whole thing.

[Brocklovich]

Honestly I find Botchford would write an article with some weird negative overtone if the Canucks won the cup next year & were awarded the 1st overall pick in the 2015 draft.

Maybe its the tone of his writing but I am surprised this guy writes for the team

[TheRussianRocket.]

Sorry, but the minute I realized that the article was written by Botchford, I disregarded the whole thing.

Honestly I find Botchford would write an article with some weird negative overtone if the Canucks won the cup next year & were awarded the 1st overall pick in the 2015 draft.

Maybe its the tone of his writing but I am surprised this guy writes for the team

[bigbadcanucks]

A GM with steely resolve is just what the Canucks need right now...as much as I like what some of the core have done for the Canucks in the past, it's in the past. We need a GM that's going to start new traditions, one that is underlined with winning championships (not President Cups, though they are good - but not great - accomplishments).

If we have a emotion-free GM with surgeon-like abilities to sever ties with depreciating assets and players that help as much as hurt (i.e., zero on the balance sheet) and get back decent players for them, I'm all for it.

I like it that Benning is that kind of guy...Linden (good cop) + Benning (bad cop) = The beginnings of something big in Canuck-nation? If I were a betting man, I'd say we're on the right path.

[Razors_Edge]

Tortorella was right about one thing: The Canucks need more of a rebuild than Linden seems to think
By Ed Willes, The Province May 20, 2014
.
After their dumpster-fire of a season, there are two views of the Vancouver Canucks.
.
The first, which we’ll call the Linden position, suggests things aren’t as bad as they seem for this franchise. The terrible regular seasons turned in by the Canucks core was an unfortunate reaction to head coach John Tortorella’s philosophy and can be dismissed as a series of one-offs.
.
The Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Alex Edler etc., etc., have an established level of performance in their careers and they will return to their norms next season under a new coach. Throw in a collection of emerging young players and prospects and there’s every reason to think the Canucks will be a playoff team in 2014-15.
.
The second, which we’ll call the Tortorella position, isn’t quite as optimistic. It posits that the Canucks core is old and stale and has to be revitalized with an infusion of youth. As for Vancouver’s young players, not everyone in the NHL shares the team’s enthusiasm over their quality, which means you’ve got a mouldy core, prospects who are more suspects and an uncertain goaltending situation.
.
So which view is more accurate?
.
— Well, as the Jim Benning watch continues and the faithful contemplate these playoffs, there should be — let’s put this diplomatically — a heightened level of concern about the Canucks. The state of their roster is one thing. But the real issue is where they stand in relation to the Western Conference.
.
At the top of the food chain sits the Los Angeles Kings, the 2012 Stanley Cup winners, and the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2013 champs, and the Canucks are roughly the same distance from those teams as Jupiter is from the sun.
.
Behind the Hawks and Kings is a secondary layer that includes San Jose, St. Louis, and Anaheim, who all entered these playoffs as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
.
Then there’s the Colorado Avalanche, which boasts the best young collection of talent in the NHL and look to be a year or two away from their own Cup run. Behind the Avs are Minnesota and Dallas, two teams that are just a notch below San Jose, St. Louis and Anaheim, and who’ve both drafted and developed well over the last three to four years.
.
Then you get to the Canucks and that’s presupposing they’re at the same level as Phoenix and Winnipeg.
.
— Now here’s the real shame. Four, five years ago, the Canucks were in roughly the same position as the Kings, the Blackhawks and Sharks and were miles ahead of St. Louis, Anaheim, Dallas and Minnesota. But, while those teams augmented their existing core with adroit drafting and savvy personnel moves, the Canucks were mismanaged to the point of oblivion.
.
The unfortunate reality is the Canucks are now a lot closer to the Tortorella position than Linden’s....

Let's hope Benning can work some miracles, which may involve some rough trades.

Hold on to your hats, the ride could get crazy!

[THERETOOL]

ughh depressing

[JeremyCuddles]

A GM with steely resolve is just what the Canucks need right now...as much as I like what some of the core have done for the Canucks in the past, it's in the past. We need a GM that's going to start new traditions, one that is underlined with winning championships (not President Cups, though they are good - but not great - accomplishments).

If we have a emotion-free GM with surgeon-like abilities to sever ties with depreciating assets and players that help as much as hurt (i.e., zero on the balance sheet) and get back decent players for them, I'm all for it.

I like it that Benning is that kind of guy...Linden (good cop) + Benning (bad cop) = The beginnings of something big in Canuck-nation? If I were a betting man, I'd say we're on the right path.

Remember all the talk about Torts "no BS" attitude and how it was a positive. Now everyone uses it as a negative on how hard he was on our girl scouts.

Hopefully it's an asset that helps dump dead weight like Edler. We need management that is more what have you done for me lately. Not rewarding past accomplishments.

[EmployeeoftheMonth]

Sorry, but the minute I realized that the article was written by Botchford, I disregarded the whole thing.

Thanks for saving me the time of reading.

[MJDDawg]

Sorry, but the minute I realized that the article was written by Botchford, I disregarded the whole thing.

Honestly I find Botchford would write an article with some weird negative overtone if the Canucks won the cup next year & were awarded the 1st overall pick in the 2015 draft.

Maybe its the tone of his writing but I am surprised this guy writes for the team

This wasn't a true Botch article where he pulls crap out of his ass.

It references the Bruins own 24/7 series where in the opening episode in the team war room, Benning comes across as cold and ruthless, and not afraid to have a different opinion.

I knew little about Benning and his makeup and management style until I saw that episode. After seeing his performance in that meeting, I'm really excited that he's now our GM.

He's exactly what we need for an organization that got to comfortable with itself in all aspects.

[Jiggs50]

I like that Benning takes that "no nonsense approach". They had a problem with Seguin and they dealt with it. Now looking back at the deal they probably should of kept him, but Reily Smith and Loui Eriksson was a fine return.

Hopefully he takes this approach with Edler and guys like Booth.

Also at least he won't be sweating up an ocean full of crap when he's on camera.

[tribaljohn]

I was reading the slew of reports about Benning being confirmed for Friday as our new (and improved) GM. I am beyond pleased Trevor and the team were able to get the man they sought after and I hope that a sign for our future. Now whilst reading I came across an article regarding Benning I didn't see posted on here yet about Benning and the Bruins TV series that helped Boston fans get an inside look at the team a couple years ago.

Heres the article and I would suggest giving it a good thorough read before continuing: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Botchford+know+Canucks/9860757/story.html

Now, If you look at the article you get a sense of how cold and calculated he can apparently be. This, to me, is an essential part of the managerial skills needed in the GM position. No emotional connection to any of your players in the sense that it may stop you from making important decisions for the franchise. I cant say for sure about Gillis because I havent done any research on it but is it possible that Gillis was far too "attached" to some players to let them leave? Or was it simply miscalculation on his part of value to players he wished to trade? I guess hes the only guy who knows for sure.

To those out there, If this is posted somewhere else I apologize in advance. I promise I looked for it before posting but was unsuccessful at finding it. Thanks for the read and Best of luck to our new GM Benning to make the hard decisions for our teams future and continued success.

Go Canucks! Go!

Not worth reading note who wrote it and move on

[kilgore]

Sorry, but the minute I realized that the article was written by Botchford, I disregarded the whole thing.

Honestly I find Botchford would write an article with some weird negative overtone if the Canucks won the cup next year & were awarded the 1st overall pick in the 2015 draft.

Maybe its the tone of his writing but I am surprised this guy writes for the team

Thanks for saving me the time of reading.

If you want all puppy dogs and rainbows don't read him. I think Botch is one of the most readable sports writers out there. I like a little edge in my sports news. He's not afraid to bring up points that may offend the sensitive ears of bandwagon CDCers.

[Brocklovich]

Why doesn't he suggest a better gm? I bet when the new coach gets hired he will write with "edge" how so & so failed with x team and therefore wont be a fit here.

[bigbadcanucks]

Remember all the talk about Torts "no BS" attitude and how it was a positive. Now everyone uses it as a negative on how hard he was on our girl scouts.

Hopefully it's an asset that helps dump dead weight like Edler. We need management that is more what have you done for me lately. Not rewarding past accomplishments.

IMHO, Torts never struck me as a "no BS" type of coach...what he was a lot of bark, with a little bit of bite (except when he went loco on Bob Hartley).

Torts struck me as being a bit schizophrenic, which was mirrored by the players' performance on the ice...he was engaging with the press, though he never struck me as being sincere (i.e., it looked like he was trying too hard to have a romance with the local press, which the local media ate up like Fido on Purina)...he was self-admittedly indecisive at times...he was publicly good to some players and brutal to others...and it's been leaked that he allegedly wanted Burrows to be comp bought out, but still had him on the ice 17+ minutes per game. Some these bi-polar behaviors is far from someone who has strong convictions, which is a character of no-nonsense, no BS persons.

I have been advocating moving guys (subject to their waiving of NTC) like Burrows, Edler or Garrsion, Hansen, Higgins and Kesler (if indeed he wants to be moved) because, with the exception of Kesler, I think these guys are replaceable with lower priced, younger players. Even if these guys waived their NTC, it would be a tough decision to move them because of what they have done for the organization in the past. But, if Benning is in fact the next GM and he is interested in building a team that can be competitive for years by taking a step back in 2014-2015 I'd welcome tough decisions being made.

[RUPERTKBD]

I don't necessarily write off everything Botch writes, but I will say in response to his article (and the one by Willes as well) that it's easy to be a pessimist. If things turn out to be more psoitive than they say, they'll be able to say that the turn around wasn't enough.

OTOH, any sportswriter who comes out and says that the Canucks have done the right things and that they'll be a playoff team next season will be flamed.

Criticizing is easy. That's why so many so-called journalists do it. Being optimistic takes balls. That's why it's so rare.

[Canuck Surfer]

Tortorella was right about one thing: The Canucks need more of a rebuild than Linden seems to think

By Ed Willes, The Province May 20, 2014

.

After their dumpster-fire of a season, there are two views of the Vancouver Canucks.

.

The first, which we’ll call the Linden position, suggests things aren’t as bad as they seem for this franchise. The terrible regular seasons turned in by the Canucks core was an unfortunate reaction to head coach John Tortorella’s philosophy and can be dismissed as a series of one-offs.

.

The Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Alex Edler etc., etc., have an established level of performance in their careers and they will return to their norms next season under a new coach. Throw in a collection of emerging young players and prospects and there’s every reason to think the Canucks will be a playoff team in 2014-15.

.

The second, which we’ll call the Tortorella position, isn’t quite as optimistic. It posits that the Canucks core is old and stale and has to be revitalized with an infusion of youth. As for Vancouver’s young players, not everyone in the NHL shares the team’s enthusiasm over their quality, which means you’ve got a mouldy core, prospects who are more suspects and an uncertain goaltending situation.

.

So which view is more accurate?

.

— Well, as the Jim Benning watch continues and the faithful contemplate these playoffs, there should be — let’s put this diplomatically — a heightened level of concern about the Canucks. The state of their roster is one thing. But the real issue is where they stand in relation to the Western Conference.

.

At the top of the food chain sits the Los Angeles Kings, the 2012 Stanley Cup winners, and the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2013 champs, and the Canucks are roughly the same distance from those teams as Jupiter is from the sun.

.

Behind the Hawks and Kings is a secondary layer that includes San Jose, St. Louis, and Anaheim, who all entered these playoffs as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

.

Then there’s the Colorado Avalanche, which boasts the best young collection of talent in the NHL and look to be a year or two away from their own Cup run. Behind the Avs are Minnesota and Dallas, two teams that are just a notch below San Jose, St. Louis and Anaheim, and who’ve both drafted and developed well over the last three to four years.

.

Then you get to the Canucks and that’s presupposing they’re at the same level as Phoenix and Winnipeg.

.

— Now here’s the real shame. Four, five years ago, the Canucks were in roughly the same position as the Kings, the Blackhawks and Sharks and were miles ahead of St. Louis, Anaheim, Dallas and Minnesota. But, while those teams augmented their existing core with adroit drafting and savvy personnel moves, the Canucks were mismanaged to the point of oblivion.

.

The unfortunate reality is the Canucks are now a lot closer to the Tortorella position than Linden’s....

Let's hope Benning can work some miracles, which may involve some rough trades.

Hold on to your hats, the ride could get crazy!

Good to see Willes setting the bar at desperation, and no hope...

My perspective is Linden's as Ed describes it. Not Torts sad excuse for having done a pathetic job!

Gillis should have been fired a year ago. But actually did a reasonable job this past year. We had what most agree was a great haul in the 2013 draft. We did an almost complete market correction on our cap situation. We have a top 6 pick in the draft. Our position should be building with young players, not trading / signing for players like Cammalerri. It wont see us top contenders right away. But it also wont see us sink as Calgary did.

[Mad_Duck]

Tortorella was right about one thing:...

By Ed Willes...

...may involve some rough trade.

Hold on to your hats, the ride could get crazy!

You know what, Botchford's the one I think of most when I read this phrase.

[Razors_Edge]

You know what, Botchford's the one I think of most when I read this phrase.

Here is the Video showing Benning, its starts around the 3 minute mark!

This is a nice series, we should have one!

Go Canucks

[ocnucksfan]

sounds like what the team needs, I said it before and I'll say it again: People on CDC seem to want to keep every player thats ever had a good game with the Canucks, I think MG felt the same way given all of our NTC's. We need a guy that isnt afraid to get rid of problem players regardless of how good they may be, I.E. the seguin trade. That being said I dont mean just get rid of a promising prospect 'cuz he's partying out of control, Benning has the ability to get good return on his trades, and has no issue giving someone the boot if they dont straighten up, for a good return of course.

The Seguin trade may seem like a loss but who knows what kind of cancer he could've spread in that locker room that could've ended their post season even earlier. It's easy to say the B's would've gone further than they did with him but thats not a given, they couldve done worse just as easy.