Jim Benning's mid-season press conference

[Mustard Tiger]

CDC is an interesting place.

 

People understand you need to build through the draft, But don't have the patience to let them develop.
People know its the long term contracts on 30 year old's that handcuff the team, But freak out when we don't sign them.
People claim we are wasting our best players ELC years and should be contending right now, Yet literally no team does this ever.

Everyone wants to get rid of our $*^& players, And they know that comes at a cost. We have a prospect pool loaded with the role players we need to fill out a good chuck of this roster, But they need time to develop. We have 1-2 more seasons left of dead weight contracts. Seems like a perfect timeline to me??

I'm pissed we are the only team that seems to be OK with the current record. Buffalo, Montreal, Calgary have made changes or atleast come out saying they are not happy.
BUT i also see the light on the horizon, I mean most the key pieces are already on the roster. Center, PMD, Goalie.

IF anyone can please show mean who has made cup runs with their 1st/2nd/3rd year BEST players on ELC's i'd love to see it. Remember we have not been gifted generational talent either.

One easy POTENTIAL fix i'd like to see asap is coaching staff, At the very least the assistants.

[Down by the River]

Just now, ItsAllOursBoys said:

Tend to agree with you, with few exceptions, JB's mantra of "build from the draft" or "build from within" seems to be short-circuiting. That being said however, a lot of the blame for the current condition the team falls directly at the feet of ownership. Over the last 8 yrs, I've not seen or heard any fire-in-the-belly determination from ownership to quickly ice a legitimate, competitive, winning team. 

 

They seem to be content on waiting a decade or two in hopes of hitting the jackpot and having a one-hit Carolina moment. 

 

In many ways it's not unlike the Maple Leafs ownership during the Harold Ballard years.

 

 

TBH, I think this is the perfect mantra, particularly in a cap era and especially in a flat cap era. The problem is that this is what like 90% of teams shoot for, and so the difference between teams comes down to how well they do to surround their internal pieces with external pieces. 

 

Brandon Sutter, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Erik Gudbransson, Derrick Pouliot, Del Zotto, Gagner, Spooner, Schaller, Clendening, Sbisa/Bonino, Baertschi, Vey.

 

There are so many pieces brought in that were unsuccessful. Even when Benning made good decisions (e.g., flipping Burr and Hansen at the deadline) he ended up with nothing to show for them (Dahlen/Goldobin).

[ShawnAntoski]

34 minutes ago, appleboy said:

I am ecstatic that they are not looking to find a quick fix. They will build through the draft.  

Good point, JB needs to continue adding to his young core through the draft & amatuer Free Agency cause he has already build up enough prospect depth to let most/all our FA walk.  Hopefully, he can trade for some picks...

[linden17]

I really hope he was blowing hot air when he was talking up Tanner Pearson and saying they are looking to resign him. We don’t need an average at best 2nd liner who plays with little or no emotion. His time should be up here if we are moving forward. Trade him before we let him walk for nothing is my view. Time for one of our prospects to take his place.

[J.I.A.H.N]

Have you ever noticed how Jim runs out of time on a lot of things?

 

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by janisahockeynut

[oldnews]

19 hours ago, Convincing John said:

All I was saying is Jim needs to make a jump on it. The game against Toronto should be left to the players and coaches. He needs to worry about playing Toronto in 2 years. I don’t know how you can listen to all the excuses and watching him perspire and squirm and be confident in this man’s plan. I’m actually happy he isn’t making a coaching change. Green has done an above average job handling our young core and I’m tired of nobody noticing that. 

No - he doesn't "need to worry about playing Toronto in 2 years" -  that is no objective whatsoever.  You don't waste your time imaginary goalpost chasing a franchise two years projected into the future - of a team in the other conference - that has never won a playoff series.

Why would Benning worry about Toronto - relative to actual championship teams like Tampa?  Or St Louis - the team they knocked off in the playoffs?   Those things that matter more than the first month of a covid season - the playoffs - where allegedly all 'real' accomplishments occur.  A difficult fact for anyone touting the Leafs build to deal with - so the play is to project them as winners in the future (as if we havent' heard the story of their contention for the past four years - it's not as though they haven't gotten off to starts like this before - and flagged hard.   I think they're probably a better team at this point - and in part because of things like the Malhotra effect - but still haven't done a thing until they prove themselves in the playoffs.   Anyone here pumping that Leafs build - and calling for Benning's head - need to grasp the fact that if they haven't called for Dubas' yet, they're talking nonsense.

Wake me up when Toronto wins a playoff round, and then sound the alarm if they ever win a Cup.

 

Nobody has noticed that Green has done an above average job of handling the young core?  There are lots of people on these boards who consider Green a very good coach - particularly his record developing young players - a large part of what got him the callup from Utica to coach this team in the first place.

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by oldnews

[xereau]

12 minutes ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Re-signing Pearson isn’t a very good idea. I don’t see him as an integral piece of the core moving forward. He’s far more valuable as a trade chip. 

Sign a UFA with higher ceiling than Tanner, and ice an eager younger bottom 6 led by Motte and MacEwen.

 

The bottom 6 vet strategy has failed miserably, and we need to be a threat from 4 lines to go deep.

 

Priority #1 imo: We need another stud D to play with Quinn. He's a superstar! Top 5 all time starts for a D in points.

 

This team should be built around him.

Quinn - ?

 

OJ - Schmitty

 

Woo - Myers

 

If Edler wants to sign for 1 year a time to be our depth vet, I think he deserves that kind of respect.

 

Dude's the goat here, and if he's around as a mentor for this new D core, it would be good for everyone too.

[Devron]

Just now, linden17 said:

I really hope he was blowing hot air when he was talking up Tanner Pearson and saying they are looking to resign him. We don’t need an average at best 2nd liner who plays with little or no emotion. His time should be up here if we are moving forward. Trade him before we let him walk for nothing is my view. Time for one of our prospects to take his place.

He wouldn’t say he wasn’t going to resign him. He’d be showing all is cards and that wouldn’t be good for the players.

 

I personally like Pearson but I think you gotta talk to agent and see if there’s a deal that makes sense. If not and the Canucks are out then ya you gotta move him 

[Devron]

6 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said:

Have you ever noticed how Jim runs out of time on things?

Man I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes. Getting lit up for a couple words

[J.I.A.H.N]

To be fair, Jim has had more than 1 plan

 

1. Retool on the fly plan, while the Sedins were here

2. The rebuild plan, while Linden was here

3. The taking a step back plan, when Markstrom, Tanev, Toffoli, Leivo, and Stecher Left

4. Now, it's wait a couple more years plan

 

Then there is my plan, while Jimbo makes up another plan

 

It's the Tank for Rank plan, meant to help secure a very strong 1st and 2nd round picks....this is Tank for a top 2 pick, but Jim will screw this one up too!

[kanucks25]

23 minutes ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

I think this tends to get overstated.  I'm sure Weisbrod is a great schmoozer but I know who I'd rather have in charge (him or Benning).

Why? What's wrong with the guy that thought Jankowski was the best player in a draft that included Rielly, H. Lindholm, Dumba, Trouba, Forsberg, Faksa, Wilson, Hertl, Teravainen, Vasilevskiy? (and that's just the group of players that were selected ahead of him, not counting the dozens of quality players selected after him).

 

 

Lose Linden, Gilman & Brackett, add Weisbrod. Recipe for success. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by kanucks25

[shazzam]

6 hours ago, b3. said:

So Jim is saying he is not making excuses, but then proceeds to make excuses?!

 

The typical fighter that loses a fight and says no excuses but says he came in with multiple injuries. Not taking anything away from the winner though. I was not at 100%. I win 9 times out 10. Tonight was his night

[ShawnAntoski]

15 minutes ago, kanucks25 said:

Why? What's wrong with the guy that thought Jankowski was the best player in a draft that included Rielly, H. Lindholm, Dumba, Trouba, Forsberg, Faksa, Wilson, Hertl, Teravainen, Vasilevskiy? (and that's just the group of players that were selected ahead of him, not counting the dozens of quality players selected after him).

 

 

Lose Linden, Gilman & Brackett, add Weisbrod. Recipe for success. 

Yeah, I also wonder where does Weisbrod fit in when it comes to these decisions about trades & signings.   Did not watch, the presser but was Weisbrod there ?

 

If I am JB, I would be more careful

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by ShawnAntoski

[rychicken]

11 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said:

To be fair, Jim has had more than 1 plan

 

1. Retool on the fly plan, while the Sedins were here

2. The rebuild plan, while Linden was here

3. The taking a step back plan, when Markstrom, Tanev, Toffoli, Leivo, and Stecher Left

4. Now, it's wait a couple more years plan

 

Then there is my plan, while Jimbo makes up another plan

 

It's the Tank for Rank plan, meant to help secure a very strong 1st and 2nd round picks....this is Tank for a top 2 pick, but Jim will screw this one up too!

that's quite the plandemic

[Convincing John]

17 minutes ago, oldnews said:

No - he doesn't "need to worry about playing Toronto in 2 years" -  that is no objective whatsoever.  You don't waste your time imaginary goalpost chasing a franchise two years projected into the future - of a team in the other conference - that has never won a playoff series.

Why would Benning worry about Toronto - relative to actual championship teams like Tampa?  Or St Louis - the team they knocked off in the playoffs?   Those things that matter more than the first month of a covid season - the playoffs - where allegedly all 'real' accomplishments occur.  A difficult fact for anyone touting the Leafs build to deal with - so the play is to project them as winners in the future (as if we havent' heard the story of their contention for the past four years - it's not as though they haven't gotten off to starts like this before - and flagged hard.   I think they're probably a better team at this point - and in part because of things like the Malhotra effect - but still haven't done a thing until they prove themselves in the playoffs.   Anyone here pumping that Leafs build - and calling for Benning's head - need to grasp the fact they if they haven't called for Dubas' yet, they're talking nonsense.

Wake me up when Toronto wins a playoff round, and then sound the alarm if they ever win a Cup.

 

Nobody has noticed that Green has done an above average job of handling the young core?  There are lots of people on these boards who consider Green a very good coach - particularly his record developing young players - a large part of what got him the callup from Utica to coach this team in the first place.

 

You need to stop taking everything so literal. You just wrote an essay about Toronto when my point was he needs to generally look to the future.
 

Richie!!!!!!!!!! Not my Richie!!!!

[J.I.A.H.N]

2 minutes ago, Devron44 said:

Man I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes. Getting lit up for a couple words

You know Devron, I have been a huge Benning supporter until this year, and not because of our place in the standings, but his management of our players, over the last summer.

 

I mean, exactly this. If he was a good manager, he would have been able to forecast that he could not have all his players back, and he would not have gone after OEL. 

 

And in saying that, he lost all those players (Markstrom, Tanev, Tofolli, Leivo, and Stecher) for nothing!......why did he not move them the year before, when they had some really good value? 

 

He could have signed stop gaps, to hold us over. If he is a good manager, he should have been able to forecast that. He also should have been able to use the arguement that the assets coming back would have been very useful closer to our actual window.

 

I also am having a hard time accepting his argument of putting your young players in a winning environment and taking a step back, and how somehow they both work in Jim's view.........To me they are conflicting statements that Jim has said in the past year

[4petesake]

10 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said:

To be fair, Jim has had more than 1 plan

 

1. Retool on the fly plan, while the Sedins were here

2. The rebuild plan, while Linden was here

3. The taking a step back plan, when Markstrom, Tanev, Toffoli, Leivo, and Stecher Left

4. Now, it's wait a couple more years plan

 

Then there is my plan, while Jimbo makes up another plan

 

It's the Tank for Rank plan, meant to help secure a very strong 1st and 2nd round picks....this is Tank for a top 2 pick, but Jim will screw this one up too!

I have to say I’d take any one of Jim’s plans (would prefer to choose one and stick with it though) before your Tank for Rank plan. Don’t have it in me to ever be a “tanker.” Never, no how, no way, not gonna happen for me!

[grandmaster]

I think my dislike of JB has just increased. How can he sit and spew this garbage? Be a man and admit your mistakes and failures. 
 

1) Demko was not quite ready to be number one and Holtby came as advertised (passed his prime). Priority should have been signing Marky

 

2) Jake ought to have been traded and TT ought to have been signed

 

3) Green has not done a good job. The team looked lost and had no compete or strategy in their play

 

4) Bo is having a good season. Let’s not over blow this

 

5) All his bad contracts have finally caught up to him and he is says every team has one bad contract? Really Jim? We only have one bad one? 

[oldnews]

4 minutes ago, Convincing John said:

You need to stop taking everything so literal. You just wrote an essay about Toronto when my point was he needs to generally look to the future.
 

Richie!!!!!!!!!! Not my Richie!!!!

Ok.  But if your point is to generally look to the future - that's what he's generally doing.  They don't build the kind of young group of players (that you credit Green with developing) - if they weren't and don't remain generally looking to the future.  They don't commit spots to Demko, Hoglander, Juolevi, etc, if they aren't looking to the future (they do what it takes, spend assets to create cap space, re-sign Markstrom, trade Demko, etc - if they're prioritizing the present and short term.

[alt kilgore]

1 hour ago, appleboy said:

I am ecstatic that they are not looking to find a quick fix. They will build through the draft.  

Great.

 

If this was what we were getting  from JB in 2016, that would work.  Fans here were ready for it. And would have given Jim a long rope, fans would have accepted being bottom feeders. Turns out we were bottom feeders anyways, despite abandoning the "build through the draft" approach. Management gave the Sedins another run in 2015, and we got smoked by Calgary.  This after trying and not winning a playoff round since our magical run in '11.   It should have been clear a year after that performance in 2015, that we had to start rebuilding and as you say, "not looking to find a quick fix", and "build through the draft". But  Benning consistently had even less picks than allotted each draft, because of trading them away, in part, for washed up vets that he predicted to be the foundational pieces to take us to the next level.

 

You are ecstatic for JB to go with that line of thinking in the present? ...with a young elite core coming off their ELCs?   Hate to break it to you but JB has already moved on from there, or more accurately, never was there.  Not long ago he traded a first for Miller, (and a goalie prospect + a third),  then a second rounder and Madden for Toffoli (even though we lost him).  Does that sound like he has much interest in collecting draft picks now?  That ship has sailed.

 

JB has never adhered to that philosophy, based on his history here.  He only got Hughes a Pettersson because his prediction of being a playoff team every off season failed miserably, and his team ended up with a high picking spot.  He accidentally had a rebuild despite banning the word in the office. And TBH, the quality of picks was mostly Judd Brackett.  Sure JB gave his stamp of approval, even though he had doubts about Pettersson. But the work was done by Brackett and his team. A team that Benning insisted HE get to hire and fire, if Brackett wanted a new contract. An easy way to rid himself of someone who was outshining him. But an awful decision for the team's amateur scouting dept. going forward. We teach and groom him for nine years and the Wild are now the beneficiaries. And yes, they even let him hire his own staff.

.

.

Edited March 6, 2021 by kilgore