Ranking the Leagues 31 GMs - Is JB the Worst NHL GM?

[Alflives]

5 minutes ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

God...how do you get that?  No.  The idea that ownership is playing a puppet game is one of the dumbest totally baseless fantasies happening on here.  ("Well I heard he hired Torts, so there you go...." - it's strong stuff.)

Other than your first sentence, that's how it read to me.  How do you dispel the comments from so many reporters, insiders, and ex players that Aqulini is steering the ship?  Is your argument that JB's retooling (not rebuilding) concept just happens to mesh with Aqulini's views?  If so, that would make sense.  The owner should hire someone with similar philosophy.  Now, whether it's a philosophy to building a Cup winner, that's debatable.  

[WhoseTruckWasIt]

3 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Other than your first sentence, that's how it read to me.  How do you dispel the comments from so many reporters, insiders, and ex players that Aqulini is steering the ship?  Is your argument that JB's retooling (not rebuilding) concept just happens to mesh with Aqulini's views?  If so, that would make sense.  The owner should hire someone with similar philosophy.  Now, whether it's a philosophy to building a Cup winner, that's debatable.  

You are talking about rumours right?  Well, supply the quote, and then look closely and see that it's got all of the substance of a fart.  Besides which, something which may have happened years ago hardly proves that it's happening now.

 

They just held a competition.  Benning won.  Do you think that he did it by lying?  Not by selling them on his vision, but him selling them on their own vision?  Now he has to put up with a mandate that he disagrees with?  That is so asinine.  Guess what?  He doesn't believe in tanking (see: Boston 2011).  

 

Gotta have a gripe narrative, even though we have some of the best owners in the league.  Pure tripe.

[Alflives]

4 minutes ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

You are talking about rumours right?  Well, supply the quote, and then look closely and see that it's got all of the substance of a fart.  Besides which, something which may have happened years ago hardly proves that it's happening now.

 

They just held a competition.  Benning won.  Do you think that he did it by lying?  Not by selling them on his vision, but him selling them on their own vision?  Now he has to put up with a mandate that he disagrees with?  That is so asinine.  Guess what?  He doesn't believe in tanking (see: Boston 2011).  

 

Gotta have a gripe narrative, even though we have some of the best owners in the league.  Pure tripe.

That's all interesting.  Thank you.  However, I do believe I suggested JB was hired because his philosophy of retool meshes with Aqulini's beliefs to make the playoffs.  Is not the debate whether that philosophy can be successful with our team, and the moves JB has made thus far - trading prospects and picks for more established NHL players? 

[Apple Juice]

I like how there are 14 other GMs ranked below Las Vegas when not one single transaction has been made that even involves Las Vegas at all. Not one. Not expansion draft process. Nothing.

[GoBoGo53]

3 hours ago, DeNiro said:

Getting next to nothing for Kessel and retaining his salary kind of balances out those moves though.

Lou didn't trade Kessel. Kessel was traded before he got there.

[WhoseTruckWasIt]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

That's all interesting.  Thank you.  However, I do believe I suggested JB was hired because his philosophy of retool meshes with Aqulini's beliefs to make the playoffs.  Is not the debate whether that philosophy can be successful with our team, and the moves JB has made thus far - trading prospects and picks for more established NHL players? 

I do believe that you are pushing the narrative that Benning wants to do one thing while Aquilini pushes him in another direction, which is just dumb.  But obviously consistency is not on the table with you.

[-DLC-]

7 hours ago, combover said:

Totally agree with his ranking.

There are few if any positive stories written about JB since he took over and as much as the tin foilhat wearing    benning homers would have you believe it's the bias media or hate for this franchise  and it simply isn't. If he were the gm of any other team the same people on cdc defending him would be laughing at him and calling him horrible.

He has the franchise worst records to prove he's right there with nonis and Keenan. 

His asset management has been easily the worst in the league. 

At some point the homers have to realize that maybe just maybe the rest of the world, paid professionals and most of the gms around the league are right and the un paid self proclaimed experts basing there opinions on there own beliefs are and have been wrong.

This will be benning last season as a gm with vancouver.

Enough with the homer stuff. It makes your point less than credible to argue from a stance that puts others down in order to try to do so.

 

Here's all I need to know about this ranking:

 

About

News Editor at theScore, Inc.

From Toronto

Male

 

 

[Ghostsof1915]

Ok let's look at who's writing the articles.

 

Let's check Bob McKenzie. http://www.tsn.ca/talent/bob-mckenzie-1.56392

 

Nope no player or GM rankings there.

 

Travis Yost? Nope.

 

Not seeing anything on Sportsnet.ca either on rankings.

 

Only The Score, only online. Why? Controversy get's clicks, and ad revenue. 

 

Checking Darren Dreger's twitter, nope.

 

So maybe it's people in Toronto newspapers and The Score. After all what makes you feel better about your club when your media outlets paints sunshine and rainbows about your club? 

 

Experts like Bob McKenzie have enough on their plate for draft rankings etc. It's the junior guys that write these pieces. 

 

Bottom line its some guys's opinion. I bet you check in every city you'll get different rankings. We're in the dog day's of summer. 

Lots will happen between now and the start of the regular season. That's like listening to Bro Jake and thinking he knows more than 

Bob McKenzie does. 

[Aircool]

7 hours ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

Just keep pumping that garbage.  At least you have rumours, assumptions, and an agenda to go on.  It's really a very solid opinion.  You're just nailing it.

 

7 hours ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

God...how do you get that?  No.  The idea that ownership is playing a puppet game is one of the dumbest totally baseless fantasies happening on here.  ("Well I heard he hired Torts, so there you go...." - it's strong stuff.)

tbh, I totally don't believe ownership told him to make some of the trades he's made... I was being somewhat facetious with the post I made... I do believe though that ownership has mandated that he try to make the playoffs every year since he came in, and I do believe that in the long term that will hurt our franchise, even if we have success that just means we could have had more. (all of this is obviously my opinion, so don't anybody give me stupid garbage about "HOW I KNOW THIS..." If I write it, it's my opinion...)

[Curmudgeon]

Anybody with a keyboard and an opinion can make lists ranking whatever or whomever they wish. And so what if they enlist the help of 200 of their closest imaginary friends? The only really valid assessment of Vancouver management, player development and (the almightily holy) asset management can come from those who read, watch, listen, think, eat, drink and breathe Vancouver Canucks. I think the assessement, however emotionally charged and argumentative, would provide a far more useful picture of the Benning Plan than something originating anywhere east of the Rockies.

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

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[Nave]

Ranking him last is absurd. I have him around 20, probably on the good side.

Having Vegas on that list is a trip.

Although I understand the Leafs being high cause Lou is a great GM. I prefer Benning over Shero.

[WhoseTruckWasIt]

10 hours ago, Alflives said:

That's all interesting.  Thank you.  However, I do believe I suggested JB was hired because his philosophy of retool meshes with Aqulini's beliefs to make the playoffs.  Is not the debate whether that philosophy can be successful with our team, and the moves JB has made thus far - trading prospects and picks for more established NHL players? 

I guess that's one debate.  But the narrative under discussion is that Benning wants to do one thing and is being made to do another.  The thing about this narrative is that it is ill-founded, even if it turned out to be true, because there is absolutely no evidence other than Botch's conjecture to believe this bizarre story.  The fact that everyone desperately wants to be believe that the management group is divided seems to speak only to the uncanny amount of venom in this market, which itself seems to stem from a well-established loser complex and a low level of personal familiarity with the sport.  

 

(Don't get me wrong, I'm still a west coast kinda guy.)

[WhoseTruckWasIt]

8 hours ago, Aircool said:

 

tbh, I totally don't believe ownership told him to make some of the trades he's made... I was being somewhat facetious with the post I made... I do believe though that ownership has mandated that he try to make the playoffs every year since he came in, and I do believe that in the long term that will hurt our franchise, even if we have success that just means we could have had more. (all of this is obviously my opinion, so don't anybody give me stupid garbage about "HOW I KNOW THIS..." If I write it, it's my opinion...)

Fair enough.  Clearly when someone hires someone, they drop a mandate on them too.  And your post was funny.   

 

This particular story-line irks me because we are really fortunate to have owners that want to spend balls-out to win, are totally stable and committed to the city, don't open up bids on the team, don't try to extort money out of municipal government, are willing to run a "first-class organization", which means that the team spends way more on non-cap, behind-the-scenes stuff than most teams, which is a massive competitive advantage.  On top of that, they love hockey.  They go and try to hire the best in the business.  I don't know what happened with the Torts situation, but that's a different situation.  This new team was put together properly, by starting with a president.  Linden wasn't going to go and get a guy who believed in full tank jobs, because they don't want that.

 

So, and this is my whole point, Linden hired a guy that doesn't believe in tank jobs (or "full re-builds", as they say around here as if it means something).  Hence, no conflict between philosophies.  And next to no supposition on my part.

 

(They also don't hold the Melnyk press conference.  They also make GMs accountable and don't let someone dick around for a decade like dozens of other teams.  They also stay totally out of the media.  Honestly, what more could we want.) 

[Alflives]

10 hours ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

I do believe that you are pushing the narrative that Benning wants to do one thing while Aquilini pushes him in another direction, which is just dumb.  But obviously consistency is not on the table with you.

At one time I did believe our owner was pushing JB, like he did Gillis, but I see JB believing in the same philosophy from before he was hired.  However, to state opinions are "dumb" is a bit on the arrogant side, don't you think? Posters will have opinions that are different than yours.  There are many well connected reporters, insiders, and ex players who believe our current management has been led by ownership.  Do their opinions, because they differ from yours, make them dumb.  As for consistency, some of us are able to make change.  That's healthy, isn't it?  That still does not make either view more correct than the other, only different - and certainly not "dumb".  

[IBatch]

13 hours ago, Apple Juice said:

I like how there are 14 other GMs ranked below Las Vegas when not one single transaction has been made that even involves Las Vegas at all. Not one. Not expansion draft process. Nothing.

LOL..What a joke eh?  I guess doing absolutely nothing other than just been a good GM with a very good track record is enough.  The guys who wrote the article probably just googled each guy and stuck them on the list. 

 

Benning deserves some credit given what he had to work with when he got here, and what he has managed since.   Perhaps the media feels it follows Calgary's or even TO's path too closely, and knowing the results of those (eventual total dismantling) feel he should do the same - but not easy to do with boatloads of NTC clauses....

[73 Percent]

Final management rankings came out today

 

Toronto 1st

 

Vancouver 28th

[Alflives]

7 minutes ago, Gooseberries said:

Final management rankings came out today

 

Toronto 1st

 

Vancouver 28th

Shouldn't these management ranking reflect where teams finished last season?  Pitsburgh won the Cup, so shouldn't they be number 1?  TO finished last, making them 30th.  

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

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[ice orca]

10 hours ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

Ok let's look at who's writing the articles.

 

Let's check Bob McKenzie. http://www.tsn.ca/talent/bob-mckenzie-1.56392

 

Nope no player or GM rankings there.

 

Travis Yost? Nope.

 

Not seeing anything on Sportsnet.ca either on rankings.

 

Only The Score, only online. Why? Controversy get's clicks, and ad revenue. 

 

Checking Darren Dreger's twitter, nope.

 

So maybe it's people in Toronto newspapers and The Score. After all what makes you feel better about your club when your media outlets paints sunshine and rainbows about your club? 

 

Experts like Bob McKenzie have enough on their plate for draft rankings etc. It's the junior guys that write these pieces. 

 

Bottom line its some guys's opinion. I bet you check in every city you'll get different rankings. We're in the dog day's of summer. 

Lots will happen between now and the start of the regular season. That's like listening to Bro Jake and thinking he knows more than 

Bob McKenzie does. 

Well it wont be long before all those guys make their predictions about where the Canucks rank next year. I imagine if they rank the Canucks bottom 5 they will be slammed as well.