AlwaysACanuckFan Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Here's a one on one Q&A period between Kuzma and Benning. We shall see how everything plays out and find out how those questions will really be answered. http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/benning-q-a-canucks-are-better-deeper-more-experienced?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Benning Q & A: Canucks are better, deeper, more experienced BEN KUZMA Published: September 21, 2016 Updated: September 21, 2016 5:28 PM PDT Filed Under: The Province Sports Hockey Vancouver Canucks Jim Benning went 3-for-4 with his off-season swings to improve the Vancouver Canucks. That’s commendable and, of course, debatable in a hockey-mad market about how to score the efforts, and if others merit clapping or criticism. Erik Gudbranson brings toughness and leadership to the back end. Landing versatile unrestricted free-agent winger Loui Eriksson was a home run. Acquiring the hulking Erik Gudbranson to toughen up the back end and add leadership was a standup double. And convincing impressive college free-agent blue-liner Troy Stecher to sign with his hometown NHL team was a solid single. The only whiff for the Canucks’ general manager was trying to augment his top-six mix and provide left-winger Sven Baertschi with support and take the load off the projected second-liner. There were no answers in free-agency and any attempt to pry away a young and proven winger meant parting with Chris Tanev or Bo Horvat. End of conversation. “We wanted to add one more player and we looked at things, but they didn’t make sense,” Benning said Thursday at the annual Jake Milford Charity Invitational golf tournament. “But Sven is up to 195 pounds and he feels strong and fast, so we’re going to take a look at him in the No. 2 hole. If something makes sense and I get a call, we might still look at it (trade). “But I feel good where we’re at now. We have more experience and depth.” As the Canucks prepare to open training camp Friday in Whistler minus six players competing at the World Cup of Hockey, their GM knows this much: Off-season additions will help and there’s better depth, but the offensively challenged club — ranked 27th on the power play and 29th offensively last season — will need a lot to go right. Henrik and Daniel Sedin must stay healthy and productive to challenge for a playoff spot. They need a power-play quarterback and are hoping Philip Larsen can transition his strong KHL game back to the NHL. They need instant chemistry from Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Eriksson. They need creativity and flexibility to not be a one-line team that’s easy to defend — Eriksson could be deployed in a number of ways because he plays both wings — and they need to remain healthy. They need a lot. In the physical Pacific Division, the Canucks simply can’t afford injuries to core players. They had eight players sidelined at one point last season and had to ice seven rookies in one game during a slow crawl to missing the playoffs. Here’s a pre-camp Q&A with Benning: Q: Erik Gudbranson had poor zone-start Corsi numbers last season and has just 11 goals in 309 career games. He’s lauded for toughness and was third in hits (150) and fourth in blocked shots (73) with Florida. What are you getting in the big blue-liner? A: “We don’t measure him on offensive stats. He’s a character person and a leader, and it’s the intangibles that he’ll bring. We missed Kevin Bieksa’s leadership in the room last year and that physical presence. We weren’t hard to play against on the back end.” Q: The power play was a black hole. Everything from four-forward alignments to the drop pass and predictable half-wall setup were tried. The one thing missing was a true power-play point man. Is Philip Larsen really that guy? Players defend much better in the NHL and block shots more readily. A: “He’s a smooth skater who can walk the line and get pucks through. The last couple of years, the game has changed and offensive transition defencemen is where it’s going. It’s hard to find right-shot and skilled power-play players.” Q: With a healthy and improved roster, all eyes with be on coach Willie Desjardins. There was acknowledgment from management that Willie Desjardins has to be better in certain coaching aspects. What are they and where is your level of faith in him? A: “We’re going to be tighter when we don’t have the puck. And when we do have the puck, players are going to have the freedom to be creative. I think Willie has done an excellent job. He’s a players’ coach and they really like and respect him. Last year was hard on him and everybody because we had to play younger guys up the lineup.” Q: Everybody has a theory about ownership. What level of involvement, or interference, is in play as the franchise tries to get younger and faster while still pushing for a playoff spot? A: “I can say this to set the record straight. Ownership has been great and has never put pressure on us to do anything we don’t want to do as a management team. There’s this misconception that they’re involved and tell us what to do. That couldn’t be further from the truth. They have questions, but they let us do what we need to do to get this going in the right direction.” Q: You created a media storm this week by attaching a number of games Ryan Miller is theoretically expected to play as your designated starter. Are 55 games legit because it would limit your future starter Jacob Markstrom, who logged 32 last season. And doesn’t Miller play better when well-rested?Ryan Miller will be the starter, but how many games will he really play? A: “We have two really good goalies and Ryan has the experience and is the mentor to Jacob. He’s our No. 1 to start the year. Tim Thomas won a Stanley Cup at 36 and goalies can now play until they’re 40, so I don’t look at age so much. But I don’t know what the games are going to look like and how the coaches are going to want to play them.” Q: Those on professional tryouts are usually camp fodder to crank up the competitive level. This year, they also help compensate for six players at the World Cup. Can James Sheppard, 28, Jack Skille, 29, and Tuomo Ruutu, 33, legitimately push for a roster spot? A: “It’s up to them. If they have a good camp and deserve to be here. I’m not afraid to make hard decisions and either are Willie and Trevor (Linden). We’re going to do the right thing.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandwagon38 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I don't think it is a whiff if there was no one available. I think he took the pitch to advance a runner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpluto96 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Baer at 195 lbs, good to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Wouldn't be surprised if he keeps working the phone for the first month of the season. I bet there are teams out there looking to deal with the expansion draft coming up next summer. Seems like every team is waiting for someone else to do something though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Cat Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Pretty direct questions from Kuzma.....Benning didn't duck any of them..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Fingers Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Not once did he say 'it's a process' . Love him or hate him, JB is a strong straight shooter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tavrohorvat53 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Regardless of how this rebuild goes you can't hate Benning for being coy like gillis was. Gotta respect the man for his conviction and straightforwardness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salacious Crumb Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 19 minutes ago, Tavrohorvat53 said: Regardless of how this rebuild goes you can't hate Benning for being coy like gillis was. Gotta respect the man for his conviction and straightforwardness. He's an old school, straight shooter. This is year 3 of his project and I trust he has taken his lumps with his successes the first 2 years and is ready to leave his mark this year and next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Look at Florida, right now with Ekblad. If another of their D has an early season injury, they're likely shopping. Maybe we could find another deal there? With this WCOH tourney, 1 or 2 NHL teams are likely starting the season with excess bumps & bruises. Also with coming expansion, most GM's will be more open to shuffling bodies around. More teams likely aiming to get younger, at least compared with past seasons. Nice that we FINALLY have a little cap flexibility at the start of a campaign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Am.Ironman Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Hard to call it a whiff on not improving the 2LW spot if it was going to cost us one of our young pieces. If there wasn't a deal there to make us better I support JB standing pat. Sometimes the best deal is the one that isn't made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 3 minutes ago, I.Am.Ironman said: Hard to call it a whiff on not improving the 2LW spot if it was going to cost us one of our young pieces. If there wasn't a deal there to make us better I support JB standing pat. Sometimes the best deal is the one that isn't made. Yep. Baretschi can handle the 2LW spot. This means splitting Bo and Baer in the short term but Willie was going to do that anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sygvard Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I like how direct and candid those questions where. Far too often you hear either soft ball questions, or directly inflammatory fishing. That seemed like a good straightforward chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I still question where our blue line offense is coming from this year. That opening statement of everyone clicking, Stecher/Larsen being immediate producers etc etc etc is a shade worrisome. A lot of what ifs have to go right apparently. Try to enter the season with realistic expectations and just hope for the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mll Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 23 minutes ago, Crabcakes said: Yep. Baretschi can handle the 2LW spot. This means splitting Bo and Baer in the short term but Willie was going to do that anyways. That could actually be better for his development than playing him with Granlund. Probably also better for the team than having Burrows on that 2nd line. Sutter apparently has a very good shot and Baer was back to being more the playmaker towards the end of the season. So they should complement each other well. Hopefully they click. Looks like there are going to give players more room to be creative - that should help Baer's game too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonoman Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 8 hours ago, DeNiro said: Wouldn't be surprised if he keeps working the phone for the first month of the season. I bet there are teams out there looking to deal with the expansion draft coming up next summer. Seems like every team is waiting for someone else to do something though. Possibly something comes via waivers? We get third crack I believe. I'm not expecting that second line player though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimberWolf Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Announcing he wanted a big scoring winger and stopping because teams kept asking for Bo and and/or Tanev makes me wonder what he was offering and who he was trying to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sygvard Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 8 minutes ago, TimberWolf said: Announcing he wanted a big scoring winger and stopping because teams kept asking for Bo and and/or Tanev makes me wonder what he was offering and who he was trying to get. I'm gonna go out on a big old limb here, and say that he was offering a second round pick. Lots and lots of second round picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 1 hour ago, Warhippy said: I still question where our blue line offense is coming from this year. That opening statement of everyone clicking, Stecher/Larsen being immediate producers etc etc etc is a shade worrisome. A lot of what ifs have to go right apparently. Try to enter the season with realistic expectations and just hope for the best It's still likely going to be an issue. There's no sugar coating it. If Larsen can come in and put up similar numbers to Weber a couple years ago and Hutton can continue to improve, that combined with a likely lower goals against should see us improve. But we're still not likely to get a ton of offense from the back end. Rome was not built in a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkingz Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I like how he said ownership doesn't make management do anything they don't want. No mention of stopping them from doing something they want. I would be curious about that (eg. stopping a trade). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimberWolf Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Two other things. Markstrom is not 18 years old, he doesn't need a mentor, he needs ice time. And invoking how you won a cup with the Bruins is not endearing. Be like Keanen defending his moves here by claiming he won a cup with the Rangers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.