Aquilini’s intentions with JB

[Alflives]

In your opinion, will Aqualini extend JB?  

Not what you want, mostly we want to keep JB.  Rather, what do you think our owner is going to do?

[MoneypuckOverlord]

only a dumb ass wouldn't.  Let JB see through his very own rebuild.  Even Lou Lamoriello started his journey wasn't smooth either.

[Winter Soldier]

Is there any indication that JB won't be extended except some noise about Holland? That's just noise someone made up to generate some smoke where there isn't any.

[Alflives]

Just now, Winter Soldier said:

Is there any indication that JB won't be extended except some noise about Holland? That's just noise someone made up to generate some smoke where there isn't any.

JB’s radio interview was more influential to me than the Holland rumours.  If Aqualini wants to keep JB, why hasn’t he extended him already?  JB sure sounded like a guy who wants to extend here.  He even mentioned his family, and his worry about them, considering his not knowing about his future.  

[Alflives]

6 minutes ago, MoneypuckOverlord said:

only a dumb ass wouldn't.  Let JB see through his very own rebuild.  Even Lou Lamoriello started his journey wasn't smooth either.

Are you saying Aqualini, is a dumb ass, or is not a dumb ass?  If he doesn’t extend JB, then he certainly is making a dumb ass move.  I totally agree. 

[combover]

Good bye jimmy. Stay competitive.

 

Or Let’s see what the sedins do first because that should effect a team still in the very early stages of a rebuild.

 

 

[samurai]

It is Linden's call.   He will or has already presented the owners with a report on what should be done, and the owners will leave it up to him.  That is how it works people.  Trevor is getting paid to make the decisions.

[6string]

Benning will continue for another term, stability in the front office makes good business sense.

[coastal.view]

well there is no doubt benning was green when he started

he did make some errors

but i think it is quite clear he learned from so many of them

 

now he is trained and experienced

why would he not be kept?

you don't develop a hockey player and once he is fully developed and good

cut him lose or put him on waivers

 

benning should stay

brock is the best reason why

we have not even seen some of the other higher value recent draft picks yet

as they are still developing

[Baer.]

1 minute ago, coastal.view said:

well there is no doubt benning was green when he started

he did make some errors

but i think it is quite clear he learned from so many of them

 

now he is trained and experienced

why would he not be kept?

you don't develop a hockey player and once he is fully developed and good

cut him lose or put him on waivers

 

benning should stay

brock is the best reason why

we have not even seen some of the other higher value recent draft picks yet

as they are still developing

What a beautiful poem

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

I still think Benning will get his extension. But I agree with Alf that the timeline, combined with Benning’s uncertainty in that recent interview, has really made it seem like less of a sure thing.

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

I’d also add that the decision on whether Benning stays or goes really needs to come soon. We’re just under a month IIRC from the trade deadline. Teams are putting together their strategies and recent years have shown that most of the bigger deals either happen or start getting put together in the days and weeks well before the deadline. 

 

Jim’s a pro and I’m sure he’ll do what’s best for the team regardless of his contract status. But that said, I’d much rather prefer to see him making deals while secure in the knowledge that his performance won’t affect his immediate future.

 

Our owners have shown at times a tendency to be a little short sighted and overly influenced by fan sentiment. So I’d hate to see JB trying to plan for the long term health of our franchise while possibly having a sneaking feeling in the back of his mind that whatever moves he makes right now could end up swaying the decision on whether or not he gets another deal.

[Alflives]

2 minutes ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

I’d also add that the decision on whether Benning stays or goes really needs to come soon. We’re just under a month IIRC from the trade deadline. Teams are putting together their strategies and recent years have shown that most of the bigger deals either happen or start getting put together in the days and weeks well before the deadline. 

 

Jim’s a pro and I’m sure he’ll do what’s best for the team regardless of his contract status. But that said, I’d much rather prefer to see him making deals while secure in the knowledge that his performance won’t affect his immediate future.

 

Our owners have shown at times a tendency to be a little short sighted and overly influenced by fan sentiment. So I’d hate to see JB trying to plan for the long term health of our franchise while possibly having a sneaking feeling in the back of his mind that whatever moves he makes right now could end up swaying the decision on whether or not he gets another deal.

If ownership is thinking they’re not extending JB, will JB be free to make any trades?  He might suggest trades of vets for picks/prospects, but (if the owners want JB replaced) will Aqualini rubber stamp deals that make us less competitive right now?  This whole situation is a tangled mess, that could be cleaned up by simply extending JB now.  The wait for the JB extension has me quite concerned (as it clearly does JB from his radio interview) about the future direction of our team.  

[hammertime]

I dunno at this point I think if they were planning to extend him they would have already. 

 

Really I think they had the best scenario before with Gillman and JB unfortunately they had unresolvable difference in opinion.

 

I think over all JB has done well. It's not like the Sedins are getting better .

[JM_]

There are many good reasons to retain Jim. But my sense is the decision has been made not to bring him back and they may have already picked his replacement, someone who isn't currently in a GM or AGM role that they wouldn't need permission to talk to, someone like Don Maloney e.g. 

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

1 minute ago, Alflives said:

If ownership is thinking they’re not extending JB, will JB be free to make any trades?  He might suggest trades of vets for picks/prospects, but (if the owners want JB replaced) will Aqualini rubber stamp deals that make us less competitive right now?  This whole situation is a tangled mess, that could be cleaned up by simply extending JB now.  The wait for the JB extension has me quite concerned (as it clearly does JB from his radio interview) about the future direction of our team.  

Was just adding that point in an edit to my post. But you’ve saved my thumbs from typing it out. 

[VanGnome]

Ultimately at the "being a GM thing", there are arguably 3 categories which matter:

Contract Negotiations
Personnel Trades
Drafting

Of the three, Benning has really only excelled at the drafting aspect. There is no denying that Benning has a real eye for scouting and talent. His trading and signings have been pretty questionable.

I'd be more than okay if Benning was kept on as the President of Professional and Amateur Scouting, and someone with a bit more chops in terms of being able to manage player personnel decisions and contract negotiation was brought in as GM.

I don't think that answer is Holland. Holland was surrounded by a lot of good hockey people who ultimately left for brighter pastures Jim Nil left for Dallas who is doing well, and Steve Yzerman who left for Tampa who's done a pretty good job but inherited a team with two all-stars in Stamkos and Hedman, but drafted 2 more in Vasilevsky and Kucherov.

Not sure who else would be available as of right now for GM, but I'm sure there will be some come the end of the season.

[King Heffy]

6 hours ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

Our owners have shown at times a tendency to be a little short sighted and overly influenced by fan sentiment. So I’d hate to see JB trying to plan for the long term health of our franchise while possibly having a sneaking feeling in the back of his mind that whatever moves he makes right now could end up swaying the decision on whether or not he gets another deal.

Fan sentiment seems to be on his side (at least here).  From a personal standpoint, I doubt I'd be able to watch someone like Holland come in and butcher all of Benning's good work.  It would be Keenan-era bad, with the added bonus of the source of the team's misfortunes being impossible to fire.  I don't know if I could bring myself to cheer for another team, but ownership scrapping the rebuild would at the very minimum leave me spending less time watching the Canucks.

 

Letting Benning go at this stage would put Aquaman in the tier of owners barely above Melnyk.

[Slegr]

2 minutes ago, VanGnome said:

Ultimately at the "being a GM thing", there are arguably 3 categories which matter:

Contract Negotiations
Personnel Trades
Drafting

Of the three, Benning has really only excelled at the drafting aspect. There is no denying that Benning has a real eye for scouting and talent. His trading and signings have been pretty questionable.

I'd be more than okay if Benning was kept on as the President of Professional and Amateur Scouting, and someone with a bit more chops in terms of being able to manage player personnel decisions and contract negotiation was brought in as GM.

I don't think that answer is Holland. Holland was surrounded by a lot of good hockey people who ultimately left for brighter pastures Jim Nil left for Dallas who is doing well, and Steve Yzerman who left for Tampa who's done a pretty good job but inherited a team with two all-stars in Stamkos and Hedman, but drafted 2 more in Vasilevsky and Kucherov.

Not sure who else would be available as of right now for GM, but I'm sure there will be some come the end of the season.

I appreciate this point. JB is great at drafting. He is mediocre at best in respect to other aspects of being a GM. I wish there was a way he could comfortably stay on the drafting capacity but not as full GM. Then again, I'm okay with him as GM if he can continue to draft like he has.

[Alflives]

4 minutes ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

Was just adding that point in an edit to my post. But you’ve saved my thumbs from typing it out. 

I think it was @Warhippy who early on pointed out that a change in GM right now could indicate a change in the rebuild through the draft idea.  Hippy pointed out that those young guys coming along we are so excited about could be trade bait for a new GM, so he could get the team to make a small improvement now.  That’s a bloody bad scenario.