Ian Clark must be a priority

[wallstreetamigo]

1 minute ago, DefCon1 said:

watch benning let Ian Clark walk and say he ran out of time. He will let him walk just like Toffoli, Malhotra, Tanev, Brackett etc. etc. then extend brown and baumgartner again. His mantra is to let brilliance walk and keep incompetence and mediocrity. We have the worst management after Buffalo with Wiesbrod and Benning at the top.

If only Buffalo had hired Benning when it was rumored before he got hired by the Canucks.....

[DefCon1]

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

I don’t really disagree that much (and actually, I wholeheartedly agree with many of your points, especially when it comes to what makes a good leader and a great manager)

 

It’s more that I view Clark very differently from Brackett and Malhotra.

 

In isolation, I think losing Judd and Manny is understandable, and possible even defensible.

 

That doesn’t negate the losses, however. And those losses still can get counted toward a “death by a thousand cuts,” if they’re not being balanced out by wins in other areas.

 

Losing Clark, however, would be a Mortal Combat “Fatality” finishing move level of failure. And one that I really can’t imagine recasting as anything remotely understanding or defensible (although I somewhat look forward to seeing how the most extreme JB lovers will try).
 

If Clark walks, it will represent nothing less than a clear cut example of how this team is no longer functioning, at the highest levels, and requires massive, top-down changes, both to management, and very likely also to the structure/function of ownership, within hockey operations.

I go as far as to say that ownership is part of the problem. Hope they sell the team to someone who doesnt meddle in team management. If Benning was a GM of another team, he would be fired long time ago.

[DefCon1]

Just now, wallstreetamigo said:

If only Buffalo had hired Benning when it was rumored before he got hired by the Canucks.....

Benning learned from the best, Chiarelli and look where Chiarelli is. Those two were the masterminds behind the Seguin trade. AQ is just too stubborn to fire Benning probably because Benning is his yes man. Aside from good drafting, Benning has been terrible in everything else from cap management to trades to free agency and pro scouting.

[komodo0921]

49 minutes ago, DefCon1 said:

I go as far as to say that ownership is part of the problem. Hope they sell the team to someone who doesnt meddle in team management. If Benning was a GM of another team, he would be fired long time ago.

Finally, somebody said it.

[DefCon1]

53 minutes ago, komodo0921 said:

Finally, somebody said it.

I think its obvious now, with Benning still having a job with so many screws up he has had. At some point the ownership is also at fault. I mean how many years does it take to rebuild and why would a rebuilding team always have cap problems while their best players are on ELC. The management has to see that, they probably dont want to change GMs because Benning is the puppet.

[Nucksownyou]

Funny how people are blaming Benning for Clark when it is clear as day this is on Aqualini. By all accounts, if it was truly up to Benning, Clark would be re-signed.

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

9 hours ago, Nucksownyou said:

Funny how people are blaming Benning for Clark when it is clear as day this is on Aqualini. By all accounts, if it was truly up to Benning, Clark would be re-signed.

It’s a really bad sign, if indeed Benning is no longer free to make crucial management decisions like whether or not to give extensions to his coaching staff.

 

The last time we saw a GM sidelined to that extent was with Gillis and the 2013-14 season. MG lost control over the head coach hiring, when Torts was forced by ownership. Later, his trades were blocked by the owners. And finally, his wishes to start a rebuild were denied.
 

Ultimately, Gillis was fired.

 

To quote Yogi Berra, “it’s like déjà vu all over again.”  
 

Benning may avoid that fate. The cat with nine lives is living dangerously, but he might have one or two lives left, before he’s finally called to kitty heaven. Especially if he’s willing to just stand idly on the sidelines, while the owners make all the important management decisions. But while it may save Benning’s job, I don’t think that kind of manager/owner relationship is very good for the team. 
 

Like I said in an earlier post, letting Clark walk would be the kind of fatal error that would prove, indisputably IMO, that this team no longer has a competent or functional leadership group running hockey operations.

 

At that point, I say tear the whole thing down, from the top down, and start over.

 

And, if that’s the case, I hope that the rumours that old man Luigi is getting fed up are true, because Papà Aquilini probably needs to put little Francesco in the corner to “think about what he’s done,” and let one of his other sons play with the toys for a while.

 

Edited May 16, 2021 by SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME

[wallstreetamigo]

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

It’s a really bad sign, if indeed Benning is no longer free to make crucial management decisions like whether or not to give extensions to his coaching staff.

 

The last time we saw a GM sidelined to that extent was with Gillis and the 2013-14 season. MG lost control over the head coach hiring, when Torts was forced by ownership. Later, his trades were blocked by the owners. And finally, his wishes to start a rebuild were denied.
 

Ultimately, Gillis was fired.

 

To quote Yogi Berra, “it’s like déjà vu all over again.”  
 

Benning may avoid that fate. The cat with nine lives is living dangerously, but he might have one or two lives left, before he’s finally called to kitty heaven. Especially if he’s willing to just stand idly on the sidelines, while the owners make all the important management decisions. But while it may save Benning’s job, I don’t think that kind of manager/owner relationship is very good for the team. 
 

Like I said in an earlier post, letting Clark walk would be the kind of fatal error that would prove, indisputably IMO, that this team no longer has a competent or functional leadership group running hockey operations.

 

At that point, I say tear the whole thing down, from the top down, and start over.

 

And, if that’s the case, I hope that the rumours that old man Luigi is getting fed up are true, because Papà Aquilini probably needs to put little Francesco in the corner to “think about what he’s done,” and let one of his other sons play with the toys for a while.

 

The worst part is either our owner is incompetent in making decisions for the team or our GM is. Or both together are.

 

The team badly needs an experienced President (John Davidson or Dean Lombardi would both be good I think) who is given the autonomy to bring in his own GM and management team and build a long term strategy for the team free from day to day hockey decisions being overruled or forced on them by ownership.

 

That President then acts as a buffer between management and the GM. And the GM is then given responsibility for building out the team according to the plan and bringing in the coaches he needs to execute it.

 

The worst possible outcome of getting rid of Linden was not replacing him immediately. Benning is not President material at all. He is barely GM material at this point. And there is no buffer between ownership and the GM. Unless that dual PoHO/GM is exceptionally good at both jobs, that kind of direct line does not end well.

[appleboy]

So they figure Clark is all but gone.

 

What a stupid ownership.

 

Forget the GM, forget the coach. GET CLARK SIGNED!

Then focus on the rest. If Benning is going do it after the draft 

[73 Percent]

1 hour ago, appleboy said:

So they figure Clark is all but gone.

 

What a stupid ownership.

 

Forget the GM, forget the coach. GET CLARK SIGNED!

Then focus on the rest. If Benning is going do it after the draft 

Why? Because iMac said so? If he had it his way the canucks would be nothing more than a crater on the middle of downtown vancouver. Only then would he sleep easily at night.

[-DLC-]

 

[-DLC-]

 

[TheRussianRocket1994]

9 minutes ago, debluvscanucks said:

 

While i hope this gets done / sorted, what if Clark just wants to move on? Sadly, even if this is the case, it will be Jim's fault anyway...seems everything is his fault these days. 

[-DLC-]

6 minutes ago, IRR said:

While i hope this gets done / sorted, what if Clark just wants to move on? Sadly, even if this is the case, it will be Jim's fault anyway...seems everything is his fault these days. 

Absolutely, that's something to consider.  He may want a change and isn't held hostage here.

 

But his body of work here certainly speaks for itself...he's an absolute asset to any team.  Would hate to lose him.

[24K PureCool]

7 minutes ago, IRR said:

While i hope this gets done / sorted, what if Clark just wants to move on? Sadly, even if this is the case, it will be Jim's fault anyway...seems everything is his fault these days. 

This is not Jim's fault. This whole fiasco right now is on Aqua. They cheaped out and setup this organization for failure. They are reaping what they sewed. 

[DSVII]

8 minutes ago, 24K PureCool said:

This is not Jim's fault. This whole fiasco right now is on Aqua. They cheaped out and setup this organization for failure. They are reaping what they sewed. 

Yea this one is on ownership. Weird that you agree to invest $25 million in your franchise goalie but not a fraction of it on the coach to make sure your investment performs. Like buying a Lambo but not bothering with paying for maintenance. 

[Alflives]

Sadly history shows with Clarke that when he gets past a contract, and doesn’t get resigned before it ends, he moves on.  Alf has his fingers (all three of them on each hand) crossed that we get to keep this coach.  

[ShawnAntoski]

On 5/15/2021 at 12:57 PM, DefCon1 said:

Benning learned from the best, Chiarelli and look where Chiarelli is. Those two were the masterminds behind the Seguin trade. AQ is just too stubborn to fire Benning probably because Benning is his yes man. Aside from good drafting, Benning has been terrible in everything else from cap management to trades to free agency and pro scouting.

Yeah but drafting the young core instead of trading for them should give JB some leeway for now.  Although, if he continues this trend of overpaying for (great) intagibles and nostalgic reasons it perhaps would be prudent to look for a new GM & AGM'S (Gear & Weisbrod).

[tas]

35 minutes ago, IRR said:

While i hope this gets done / sorted, what if Clark just wants to move on? Sadly, even if this is the case, it will be Jim's fault anyway...seems everything is his fault these days. 

thatcher would know if that was the case (these guys are very close, work very closely together) and obviously wouldn't have said these things if that was the case. unless, i guess, his reason for wanting to move on was because of some fundamental issue within the canucks organization and thatcher's plea is to resolve that issue as opposed to a plea to ownership to buck up or whatever. 

[viking mama]

On 4/1/2021 at 2:31 PM, wildcam said:

Only the truth...Benning  -  Grade B = second best GM in history of Vancouver...Future prospect pool is the best in Canuck history....

Your blue vest, lol..need more green on it...

 

1.Pat Quinn

2. Jim Benning

3 Maybe Burke -- He drafted the twins if nothing else 

Gillis?