Change is on the horizon...

[Fred65]

Quote

 

"the organization needs to get back to thinking smart"

Man that excludes most of the current management  LOL

[Sbriggs]

3 hours ago, Alflives said:

benning did draft a really good young core, but (maybe?) a new guy needs to come in to take the team to the next level.  Not too sure.  

Yes, maybe a new guy, just not Gillis

[Dumb Nuck]

If we were headed in the right direction change would have been in our rear view mirror.

[Sbriggs]

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

I think “most successful” Canucks GM is without question, when you look at Gillis’s record. 
 

That doesn’t make him the “best” GM (that honour belongs to Pat Quinn, and I’m not sure I’d actually put MG any higher than 3rd or 4th, on an all time Canucks GM ranking) but you can’t argue with Gillis’ tenure being the most successful six years ever seen by this franchise.

 

5 Division titles, 10 playoff rounds, one Stanley Cup Final, 2 Presidents’ Trophies (the only two ever won by the Canucks), GM of the Year (only time for a Canucks GM), and IIRC the best points percentage of any GM in Canucks history.

 

No Canucks GM has ever put together a better team than Mike Gillis did, nor enjoyed the same level of sustained on-ice success, over a six year period (well, the first five years, anyway).

 

Then, there’s the business side, as Gillis was also named President of CSE (Canucks Sports and Entertainment), from 2009 to his dismissal, and so he wasn’t just in charge of hockey ops.

 

When he took over, the Vancouver franchise was the 8th or 9th most valuable in the league, at somewhere just over $200 million. Six years later, the Canucks were worth around $800 million, and had peaked at the 4th most valuable NHL team. Since Gillis left, the team has dropped to around $700 million in value, and will likely fall outside the top-10 most valuable NHL teams this year.

 

So yeah, without a doubt, Gillis was the most successful GM (and President) in Canucks history.

 

(And before anyone feels the need to fire off a reply: this post is not me saying MG shouldn’t have been fired.)

The core of that team was handed to him, he may have added the right pieces to give us a run at the cup but any GM could have done that. I put Quinn and Burke as better GM's then Gillis. Without Burke's deal to bring the Sedins here theres no cup run for Gillis and what about Nonis bringing Luongo? Gee, I wonder why Gillis hasn't had a GM job in the NHL since?

[Sbriggs]

2 hours ago, canuckleheads fan said:

Gillis was horrible at drafting and left the cupboard absolutely bare, if anything the success for those teams was thanks to AV, who I believe is maybe the best coach we've ever had.

Excellent point on AV

[JM_]

2 hours ago, xereau said:

Or after the draft.

maybe, but I would expect the scouting staff left have a good handle on it. 

 

Dunno, I would hope if it happens it happens soon and give a new GM a month before the draft to make the selections. Anyone who's a candidate for the job should have a very good idea of the first two rounds at least. 

[tas]

the ol' wannabotch patrick johnston creates a baseless benning hit piece.

 

boring. 

[Crabcakes]

4 hours ago, Alflives said:

wasn't gillis arguably our most successful GM ever?  He did do a great job filling out a roster to support a younger core group, and provided an environment for winning.  I just don't know is he will come back here after how it ended for him?  Maybe FA will ask?

Gillis maybe had the biggest ego of any Canucks GM ever.  Thought he was so smart and forgot about drafting.  He looked under every rock for innovation and forgot about probably the most important job a GM does.  Mr Ego will never get a GM job again imo.  

 

Rant over 

[Silky mitts]

Looks like jimbos time is finally ending. There is a god!

 

gtfo benning!

[Crabcakes]

4 hours ago, Alflives said:

benning did draft a really good young core, but (maybe?) a new guy needs to come in to take the team to the next level.  Not too sure.  

I think maybe you're right

[JM_]

If this is the end of Jim's time here, his positives will long outlast his negatives, which is the way you'd want it. in one year his major cap gaffes will be gone but the good picks will be here for years. 

 

But I'm also ready for new management and what a better pro-hockey scouting group can do. 

[Nicklas Bo Hunter]

Bring Todd Bertuzzi in as a coach. He is a great one. 

[Crabcakes]

Gillman?  He's paid his dues, is a cap whiz but has never been a GM?

[PositionOfPower]

Mike Futa who helped built the Kings, has experience as assistant gm and excellent scouting background. Before they went with Jim, Futa was offered the job by Canucks.

 

Don't like the idea of reverting back to the old and hiring someone from the past again, never works out. Plus horrible scouting where a team is built through the draft these days. Also Gillis was too loyal to players and not willing to trade them.

[Tiger-Hearted]

Change has to happen at the very top. It means having Roberto and/or Paolo take over from Francesco. If the Canucks plan on replacing Benning as GM, who in one's right mind would ever want to work under Francesco?? Certainly, not someone highly qualified and respected. Roberto and Paulo are both highly respected and seen as quality guys as opposed to Francesco.

[grandmaster]

2 hours ago, tas said:

the ol' wannabotch patrick johnston creates a baseless benning hit piece.

 

boring. 

Hate this Patrick Johnston. His last article was also utter trash

[Melbourne Canuck]

IMO JB has to go. Yes he’s drafted some nice pieces but his bungling of the cap and overall roster build has set us back. Most of the cap problems disappear next year, granted, but who’s to say there’s not any more Beagle, Roussel, Sutter or Holtby deals around the corner? I don’t understand how the Holtby deal is rarely mentioned with the others. He’s a declining goalie and the Caps knew it. Thankfully it’s only short term. When assessing JB I think it’s important to look at the whole picture. He came to VAN with next to zero prospects, a declining roster and on ice pain to come. The on ice pain brings the chance to replenish through the top end of the draft which has brought the team EP & Hughes, cornerstone pieces, but also a couple of high end busts in Virtanen and Juolevi. The Miller trade is one of his better ones too IMO but the Toffoli trade as a rental will be reflected upon for years, especially if Toffoli keeps producing like this over his current deal. I think Pearson was an opportunity missed, why not grab another pick at the deadline? Surely he can fetch a second or third round pick? If Pearson remains a top six forward, this team is going nowhere and his re-signing reeks of another Roussel or Beagle type deal with trade protection thrown in. This team has been saved by elite goaltending in the past few seasons and it really has masked some of the issues with the roster and coaching of this team. I’m ok with JB & Green moving on but I also hope areas of management/ownership

are also moving on, in fact, I would’ve moved JB on last year after the Markstrom, Tanev, Stecher, Toffoli fiasco. That’s NOT maximising your assets. What Sekeres went with today is great news IMO. It shows the club is serious about improvement and a shake up of this order is long overdue. 

[TheRussianRocket1994]

The sports media / a huge chunk of this fanbase kill me...chase Benning and Green out of town, but how long until they're start b******* & complaining about the new GM & Coach. No owner, president, gm, coach or player is perfect, so these people will never be happy. It's happened over & over, over the years. Rinse and repeat! 

[billabong]

Is this because of sekeres comments? 
 

that guy is sucha weasel. Says BS just for attention. I’ll believe it when I see it. 

 

this is the same guy who had boeser getting dealt 9 months ago 

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

38 minutes ago, Tiger-Hearted said:

Change has to happen at the very top. It means having Roberto and/or Paolo take over from Francesco. If the Canucks plan on replacing Benning as GM, who in one's right mind would ever want to work under Francesco?? Certainly, not someone highly qualified and respected. Roberto and Paulo are both highly respected and seen as quality guys as opposed to Francesco.

Well, that’s the rumour, and a fascinating one, if true.
 

Apparently, the story is that Luigi Aquilini, the family patriarch, has had enough of what’s been happening with the team and is stepping in. It’s said that he wants to take the keys away from son Francesco, who he feels has become too tied to Benning, and put younger son Roberto in charge of CSE, and completely restructure both hockey ops and the business side.

 

Of course, this is all originating from Sekeres and his “sources,” so it’s most likely fabricated, or at least wildly inaccurate.

 

But if it’s true, it would make for a very intriguing next few months in Canuckland.

Edited May 15, 2021 by SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME