A good post

[Baggins]

He's written good articles on there before.

Actually I liked what he had to say and agree with him. I'm just not sold on calling what bloggers write articles. Most bloggers are no different than those of us posting here at cdc. I tend to consider an article as something written by a journalist, or professional writer. If I write something here that is more than one paragraph did I write an article or am I just posting my opinion on line? I think the latter.

[alfstonker]

The hilarity of it all is that if and when the rebuild fails to deliver, it will be the fans who are to blame.

At which point the Canucks will have no choice but to fire the fans.

Meanwhile, at Canucks HQ...

"This fool has unwittingly stumbled onto our plan! EX-TERM-IN-ATE! EX-TERM-IN-ATE!"

Why should it fail to deliver? A cup is never certain and a hell of a lot of factors play into winning it but that doesn't mean we won't have a great and exciting team to watch.

You come over as one of these glass half empty guys always whining about something before it has had time to pan out. Can we all just relax, get behind the team, coach and management and go with the flow. Would that be too much to ask?

[alfstonker]

It was a lot low.

When you look at the return Ottawa got for Robin Lehner, the deal for Lack looks terrible. Yes, the Sens "threw in" David Legwand, but what Canuck fan wouldn't have happily thrown in Chris Higgins to get a first round pick?

And what if they didn't want Higgins. Apparently, according to the rumour nobody wants Higgins. So what is the point of pulling players names out of a hat to try and justify an ultimately spurious point.

[Hoosierdaddy]

And what if they didn't want Higgins. Apparently, according to the rumour nobody wants Higgins. So what is the point of pulling players names out of a hat to try and justify an ultimately spurious point.

Lehner was their first choice. GM knew him from Ottawa days. Plus he's something like 3 years younger than Lack and under contractual control for 3 or 4 years. Lack wouldn't have fetched even a comperable return with that in mind.

[SaintPatrick33]

It was a lot low.

When you look at the return Ottawa got for Robin Lehner, the deal for Lack looks terrible. Yes, the Sens "threw in" David Legwand, but what Canuck fan wouldn't have happily thrown in Chris Higgins to get a first round pick?

This trade is probably the worst comparison to make.... people forget that they are both Murray's and there was an inside advantage to this deal. Why else would buffalo take salary and give a first round pick? Comparing this to Lack is a horrible comparison.

Another factor is that lehner is 4 years younger and has a pedigree which NHL teams love, thats why you see teams give multiple chances to former first rounders because they think they have a certain pedigree. Lack was an undrafted free agent.

[hlinkas wrister]

And what if they didn't want Higgins. Apparently, according to the rumour nobody wants Higgins. So what is the point of pulling players names out of a hat to try and justify an ultimately spurious point.

The only people who don't want Higgins are on CDC. Guys who are good skaters, average 1/2 a point a game at a 2.5 mill cap hit and can kill penalties are garbage don't ya know.

[RUPERTKBD]

And what if they didn't want Higgins. Apparently, according to the rumour nobody wants Higgins. So what is the point of pulling players names out of a hat to try and justify an ultimately spurious point.

The point is, Higgins and Legwand are similar players. Well, except for the fact that Legwand costs an extra million per and had 9 goals, 18 assists and was plus 1, while Higgins had 12 goals 24 assists and was plus 8...

But why would anyone want a cheaper player with better numbers?

This trade is probably the worst comparison to make.... people forget that they are both Murray's and there was an inside advantage to this deal. Why else would buffalo take salary and give a first round pick? Comparing this to Lack is a horrible comparison.

Another factor is that lehner is 4 years younger and has a pedigree which NHL teams love, thats why you see teams give multiple chances to former first rounders because they think they have a certain pedigree. Lack was an undrafted free agent.

I agree that it's a "horrible comparison", because Lack is so much better...

Robin Lehner: 25 gp - .905 sv% - 3.02 GAA

Eddie Lack: 41 gp - .921 sv% - 2.45 GAA

One has to wonder why GMs "love" that pedigree so much more than the far better one.

[etsen3]

I dunno. The article makes it seem like those disagreeing with Benning's moves are a small, whiny minority, when in actuality, a lot of people are unhappy. In fact, a lot of other hockey experts are questioning his moves too. We know Benning is an experienced hockey man, but that doesn't mean he doesn't make mistakes. Perhaps the criticism goes overboard at times, but there are some valid issues being raised.

[south side legion]

if you review last years posts the naysayers of this forum predicted that the canucks would not make the playoffs..then they have a 101 point season.........so lets see what happens but this post is pretty good .........we had far too many years under gillis who hamstrung the team with bad long term no trade contracts left the prospect pool empty and made some very poor draft selections ie jordan shreoder......

so lets cut benning some slack and see how the season goes........remember this forum is only opinions

[Benchsplinters]

Yeah we gave up the pick. Thats why I think it was a bad deal.

If we would've gotten that pick, the deal would be ok..

Aside from that it was a good read.

Because it was positive in nature. It did not dwell on the humdrum stuff and recall all the mundane crap that has been the Canuck fan nemesis for years. It is filled with common sense and does not spew stupidity and speculation, nor does it over rate or inflate the value of players. That is why it is a good read and far from the negativity that fills these threads constantly. It was enjoyable and a change to read something good. Thanks OP. +1 for you.

[RUPERTKBD]

if you review last years posts the naysayers of this forum predicted that the canucks would not make the playoffs..then they have a 101 point season.........so lets see what happens but this post is pretty good .........we had far too many years under gillis who hamstrung the team with bad long term no trade contracts left the prospect pool empty and made some very poor draft selections ie jordan shreoder......

so lets cut benning some slack and see how the season goes........remember this forum is only opinions

If one did so, they would see that I predicted the team to be on the playoff bubble, with a chance of possibly winning one playoff round, but no more than that.

[Team Bagues]

Good perspective piece. Thanks for posting.

[aqua59]

There is a good post on nucks misconduct. Provides some perspective on the off season. Don't totally agree with the Biesksa part, though.

http://www.nucksmisconduct.com/2015/7/10/8918035/the-offseason-so-far

Good read. I think there's far too many hockey media people dividing one hockey pie in Vancouver.

I'm starting to wonder how smart Vancouver fans are because of the level of panic.

[selkirkcraig]

It was a lot low.

When you look at the return Ottawa got for Robin Lehner, the deal for Lack looks terrible. Yes, the Sens "threw in" David Legwand, but what Canuck fan wouldn't have happily thrown in Chris Higgins to get a first round pick?

Would a second rounder instead of a third been enough to satisfy you?

Actually, it wouldn't have mattered as JB has gone on record as saying they would have taken Brisebois had they received a 2nd rounder instead of the third.

[RUPERTKBD]

Would a second rounder instead of a third been enough to satisfy you?

Actually, it wouldn't have mattered as JB has gone on record as saying they would have taken Brisebois had they received a 2nd rounder instead of the third.

Not really.

From my point of view we traded the wrong guy. Lack had better individual numbers, was less expensive and is younger. We should have dealt Miller, IMHO.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Why should it fail to deliver? A cup is never certain and a hell of a lot of factors play into winning it but that doesn't mean we won't have a great and exciting team to watch.

You come over as one of these glass half empty guys always whining about something before it has had time to pan out. Can we all just relax, get behind the team, coach and management and go with the flow. Would that be too much to ask?

Fans here want a cup, not merely be entertained. Is a cup too much to ask? It shouldn't be.

[John Tortorella]

A good post is one that is hit behind our goalie.

[Sugar baby watermelon]

 

Or you could actually post the article....

It has been a interesting week or so in Canuckleville. After the Taco Kid got traded, the Twitterati lost their minds for a while. Jim Benning was suddenly inept at a job he has done all his life. The man was literally born into hockey, with a father as a scout. None of that mattered to that small loud segment of our fanbase that by their volume gets an outsized portion of the attention. Or so it seems. Here at NM, we try to be open to one and all, regardless. Things like narratives and ( especially and ) our sports media's insatiable desire to pander to that small loud segment are less important. It is the loud voice that sometimes gets all the attention, ( see Trump, Donald ), but it is not the only voice.

But I am telling you nothing new. As someone who was six when the team played it's first year ( and I lived in the Interior. You want to talk about the "Canuck Tea Party". There is a rabid, purer strain in many of the small, hockey mad towns in this province ), and having been a fan ever since, I have met many of the aforementioned. I love them. They are friends and family. I just choose to not do it anymore. Especially in the offseason, when everything is supposition.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I am as passionate a Canuck fan as those season ticket holders ( or, those that used their invites to the Summer Summit thingie ) that took all of nine minutes to chant Eddie Lack's name, and boo in the face of their GM when they found out that there were calls on Ryan Miller. ( "You mean we could have traded Miller and kept the beloved Eddie" BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO......." )

If Eddie Lack is indeed "thought of as a back up around the NHL"", then no amount of winning Twitter and being a media darling will change that until he does it on the ice. Look at the guy the Oilers got for more than what the Canucks got for the guy that Canuck fans fell in love with . Fell for Eddie so much that the first thing they wanted to do after the chicken dinner was find a reason to get mad and boo the guy that traded him.

Cam Talbot - 57 GP, 2.00 GAA, and a .931 in the NHL, and a career record of 33-15-5.

Eddie Lack - 82 career appearances, a 2.43 and .917, and he was 34-30 and 9 with the Canucks.

Even factoring in the fact that New York was a much better defensive team this year than the Canucks, one line looks like a guy you would pay for, while the other put up back up numbers.

I totally get it though. I fell in love with Eddie Lack myself. Part of it was the way he grabbed the spotlight that often burns too hot for goaltenders in this town and owned it like no one has since Gary Smith. ( Seriously kids, google "Suitcase Smith". Dude co-won a Vezina here, and got traded sooner than you would think a Vezina guy should because he compared the owner's daughter's looks to one of his horses at a party. He was a pretty unique guy as well ). The way that he did perform when the starter was injured was certainly decent. When they lost some of those games, I remember recapping how "you could not blame it on the goaltender ". So, the reasons behind getting vocal at the GM, I can understand them, especially in this town. But those numbers don't lie either.

None of the moves the GM made this year were that bad. They were just different, ( and tougher because the players involved were all popular ) because they fulfilled different needs, and because they address different needs. That seems pretty progressive. Like the hiring of Rick Celebrini as "director of rehabilitation". The Canucks have often been cutting edge, and hiring one of the best guys in his field to head a team that includes a long time assistant promoted to a "head trainer" position, while still looking for another strength coach to join Takahashi's team is certainly a different way of organizing that aspect of the team.

They spent time with the San Antonio Spurs this off season to learn how that team has sustained such a high level of performance from their aging ( yet still performing way better than the "experts" think they should with those aging stars. Tim Duncan is a freak ! ) core. The team will have an "entire team" approach to the health and care of their team, just like Mike Gillis had his "sleep chamber" with this reorganization.

But all the media mavens in this town saw was the firing of Mike Burnstein after getting rid of Gilman, Crawford and Henning. All they could see was another easy opportunity to stir up that one segment of the fanbase they know they can always get riled. Sad, huh ?

So, that was another of the moves. How about the Bieksa deal instead ? That is one that that certainly divided the fanbase. Folks were a little more rational on that one after a while, as the return is OK for a 34 year old on an expiring contract. But Kevin Bieksa was so much more than that here. He was an icon. He was one of the guys that the media always turned to, because he is an awesome quote, and an honest one. His charity work is amazing, turning the tragedy of his close friend on the team into a way to help people who really need that help. There is a reason why, when facing the wall of all the jerseys with their numbers and nameplates, I spent my $200+ on #3.

Even while I struggled with it in his autopsy because of that, it was pretty easy to see that deal was probably going to happen. Corrado and Clendening needed spots ( the loser in that battle of right handed defensemen for KB3's spot will probably take the spot Ryan Stanton vacates as a waived player. They will still make the team, just have to watch the waistline with all that press box popcorn available.

So, so far Jim Benning is two for three. Three for three if you buy into the company line about Brisebois being the "guy we wanted" if they had gotten the second round pick the masses demanded as a "reasonable price" for Saint Eddie. Even if you don't, the more I learnt about him after he was drafted, I am willing to cut JB some slack on that deal. The goalie market is always weird anyhow. And the trade market does not have a column for "media savvy" when it comes to adding up the pluses and minuses to make a trade in today's NHL.

Whether he went three for four, or ".500" depends not only how you view the Lack deal ( and it is not a coincidence that the same tongues wagging on one were wagging on the other over at CA, and amongst the twitterati ), but how you feel about acquiring Brandon Prust. For the record, I would have done that deal straight up, but getting a pick ( 5th round ) is always nice. Why ? Well, big Zack certainly showed he has talent, but he just cannot, right now, harness that talent on a consistent basis. In return, the Canucks got a very, very good PKer, a bottom six stalwart, and a player who is the poster child for consistency. They gave up the "appearance" of talent for the certainty of performance that is Prust's calling card. With enough youth in the pipeline now to replace that promise ( and, it is Zack who is like a Rorchadt Test for Canuck fans. Some see Todd Bertuzzi, some see Alex Stojanov ), the Canucks moved a headache and got good return. That is a win for me.

I like Matt Bartkowski, even if that means the twitter tongues wag about "see, he is trying to make the Bruins here!". He has speed, and I, again, have enough trust in this GM's ability to assess hockey horseflesh to allay my final judgement until, you know, we actually see the team play. Taylor Fedun was a pretty good prospect, just making the NHL before he broke his leg in that horrible play that changed the icing rules in the NHL. Richard Bachman may only play in the AHL, but has played enough in the NHL to be a decent "injury callup" to fill that need. The way JB signed Yannick Weber while avoiding arbitration was a nice piece of business as well. So, the free agent signing and other business has been professional and understandable.

So, what is the problem ? What happened to the guy folks were falling all over themselves to hate on Gillis for ? Maybe nothing ? It certainly was not his draft class this year, as the Canucks seemed to pickup some very good players. Seriously, the more I read and watch on Youtube about Zhukenov and Jasek, I wonder how the team managed to get them where they did ! Our second generation scout had another good draft, by most reports.

Perhaps the deals were not that bad in retrospect ? Perhaps Canuck fans ( all over B.C ) were just crankier than usual because it has been so damn hot recently. All I know is, once the T.O media (Tim and Sid is my bet ) gets ahold of the tape of the season ticket folks giving JB the business, it will all be about the same lame jokes and "look at these guys".

From a fanbase and city that suck so hard Oiler fans feel sorry for them, while judging a team that, for all the changes and "getting younger", has clearly been the one with the best record over the last twenty years in Canada. That is our cross to bear people. Even if those folks are more worthy of your pity than your response, pithy though it inevitably would be, even THEY can throw up the "No Cups" thing. Sure, it was a Black and White, six team, two round Cup ( kind of like getting to the third round now ), but...well, you know.

That is what we want, right ? As the team progresses along the path of "retool", rebuild", "getting younger", or just remaining competitive while bringing in new blood, like every good team does ( see Detroit ), opinions will vary. I know it might be an unpopular opinion right now, but I honestly don't get the hub-bub. I liked Eddie Lack as much as anyone, but even that underwhelming to some deal was not THAT bad.

But then I have never been a "tar and pitchforks" guy. Or, at least I have not been that guy for a long long time !

 

Great article!! You'd lose all the naysayers and anti-Benning peeps after the 1st paragraph because of their low attention span.... wait what was that, what are we talking about here

[6YPE]

The only people who don't want Higgins are on CDC. Guys who are good skaters, average 1/2 a point a game at a 2.5 mill cap hit and can kill penalties are garbage don't ya know.

I dont have a problem with Higgy or his contract. I have a problem with Higgy playing on a second line that doesnt generate any offence. 3rd or 4th line PK specialist would be great, 2nd line winger, not so great. 3 goals on the PP, ranked 154th in the league averaging 1:50 mins of PP time per game. ... 3 goals for the whole year on the PP. Simply not good enough for the spot he's taking up IMO.....