Official Francesco Aquilini Thread

[Frankie Blueberries]

I think it's a bit more nuanced than that. In my thinking, FAq is convinced that he knows better than those other schmuck owners who patiently collect draft picks and build a team the conventional way. No, that way is for losers! He's gonna show everyone how a dynasty can be built on the fly with revolutionary thinking like:
1) Importing vets from prior cup winners to bring their culture of success to the locker room and show the young guys how it's done.
2) Closing the age gap by fleecing rival teams who give up on guys just before they break out (suckers!).
3) Bringing in those guys who were franchise cornerstones because they totally going to do the same thing here!

He's like a patron from the enlightenment era who believes in alchemy and throws a fortune at a vanity project to demonstrate to the world he was right.

So not so much stupid as prideful. And we the fans are the collateral damage.

That's a fair and reasonable take. It almost seems like the Canucks approach constructing their team the same way as Vegas does (trade all the futures for immediate help with players with a few years of their prime left to win-now). Most of Benning's trades demonstrate this, like the deals involving Miller, Toffoli, Gudbranson, OEL/Garland, etc. The issue is that Vegas has a competent GM capable of getting good players, and their existing team is already competitive. The Canucks are the opposite.

 

[4Twenty]

I think it's a bit more nuanced than that. In my thinking, FAq is convinced that he knows better than those other schmuck owners who patiently collect draft picks and build a team the conventional way. No, that way is for losers! He's gonna show everyone how a dynasty can be built on the fly with revolutionary thinking like:
1) Importing vets from prior cup winners to bring their culture of success to the locker room and show the young guys how it's done.
2) Closing the age gap by fleecing rival teams who give up on guys just before they break out (suckers!).
3) Bringing in those guys who were franchise cornerstones because they totally going to do the same thing here!

He's like a patron from the enlightenment era who believes in alchemy and throws a fortune at a vanity project to demonstrate to the world he was right.

So not so much stupid as prideful. And we the fans are the collateral damage.

All 3 of these things point to management not ownership.

 

[Diversification]

All 3 of these things point to management not ownership.

I'm not so sure. I could totally see these two in their regular meetings brainstorming up with new schemes for how to accelerate the team to contender status in record time using these 3 weird tricks that experts hate you learning about.

 

[December5th]

we are starting a hire gillis chant next game for ultimate humiliation's against aqua and partly canuck fans too

 

[MS]

That's a fair and reasonable take. It almost seems like the Canucks approach constructing their team the same way as Vegas does (trade all the futures for immediate help with players with a few years of their prime left to win-now). Most of Benning's trades demonstrate this, like the deals involving Miller, Toffoli, Gudbranson, OEL/Garland, etc. The issue is that Vegas has a competent GM capable of getting good players, and their existing team is already competitive. The Canucks are the opposite.

For sure.

It does have to be said, though, that this was clearly not Vegas' initial plan when they were hoarding draft picks in 2017. They were planning a long-term build and then changed course when they shockingly turned out to be a top-3 team in the NHL. Which was 100% the right call given the situation.

Jim Benning is incapable of coming up with a plan, much less making that plan fluid as the situation dictates. His only thing is 'get players for now to try and make playoffs and keep job'.

 

[KingofSurrey]

we are starting a hire gillis chant next game for ultimate humiliation's against aqua and partly canuck fans too

I would love see next home games.. Canuck FANS chanting. HIRE LINDEN

FA doesn't know sweet FA about hockey... and the sooner he sells our club the better.


FA, TG and Dim ( the canucks brain trust ) meeting up after last games loss..

 

[Killer Orcas]

Still nobody fired yet I can only hope they are waiting to announce it when someone is hired to take over.

 

[Petey O]

Anyone who has given this guy a cent in the last few years, when it's become blatantly obvious how bad this organisation is run to even the most loyal fans, is contributing to the problem.

If you're still buying Canucks gear, tickets to Van or Abbotsford Canucks games, or giving your money to Frank in any capacity, you're part of the problem.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

This city deserves a consistent winner! Aquaman isn’t getting the job done by cleaning house, if he’s ok with this losing atmosphere, he’s content being a loser. Need a Billionaire to try for a 2nd team in Vancouver, bring back the Millionaires!

 

[lush]

Benning does a great job calling his contacts at the 31 other teams, as well as his teams player agents during the season, and UFA/RFA player agents in the offseason. So many calls, and he works long hours and takes a lot flack from the market. But that is it, he's got to run everything past the Boss & Owner, he's a middle man to to the contacts he has to call all the time. The other teams and agents are just negotiating with one guy and his ego, through Benning calls. It must be so frustrating working with them as an outsider team or agent.

 

[F A N]

Anyone who has given this guy a cent in the last few years, when it's become blatantly obvious how bad this organisation is run to even the most loyal fans, is contributing to the problem.

If you're still buying Canucks gear, tickets to Van or Abbotsford Canucks games, or giving your money to Frank in any capacity, you're part of the problem.

I did visit a few of his restaurants over the past few years. Also pizza from Pizza Hut (no idea if it was his). I may have ordered a blueberry pie that used his blueberries (I cannot independently verify this).

 

[VanJack]

The Canucks will never win anything under the current ownership....that's just the way it.

The highwater mark was the Sedin-Vigneault years a decade ago. And those teams were largely built by Burke and Nonis....the Sedins, Kesler, Luongo, Bieksa etc. all acquired or drafted by them. Gillis was a Aquilini hire, and all he did was ride the gravy train until the roster aged out.

But since 2012, and particularly with arrival of Linden and Benning, it's been all downhill. The Canucks remind me a lot of Oiler years before they drafted McDavid and Draisaitl.

The GM was always a member of the 80's Oiler old boy network. And they had three first overall draft picks and a bunch more in the first and second round, but never went anywhere. Only after Darryl Katz butted out and turned the helm over to Kenny Holland with compete autonomy, did things start to turn.

But Aquilini isn't smart enough or self-confident enough to ever let that happen in VanCity. So the treadmill to nowhere is destined to continue forever.

 

[tradervik]

He did it previously.

Vastly different circumstances and more by luck than design. You'll have better odds buying a lottery ticket than counting on a similar person being hired to replace Benning as long as it's FAQ doing the hiring.

 

[Cogburn]

Still nobody fired yet I can only hope they are waiting to announce it when someone is hired to take over.

Don't you dare get my hopes up.

 

[Dab]

Benning does a great job calling his contacts at the 31 other teams, as well as his teams player agents during the season, and UFA/RFA player agents in the offseason. So many calls, and he works long hours and takes a lot flack from the market. But that is it, he's got to run everything past the Boss & Owner, he's a middle man to to the contacts he has to call all the time. The other teams and agents are just negotiating with one guy and his ego, through Benning calls. It must be so frustrating working with them as an outsider team or agent.

No one cares about how busy Benning keeps himself we care about results my man ! Cmon!

 

[I Hart Conor Garland]

The worst part about Bennings tenure as GM is the hypocrisy

I disagree.

 

[likash]

we are starting a hire gillis chant next game for ultimate humiliation's against aqua and partly canuck fans too

That would be even better than fire Benning. I don't think Aqua expects something likes this.

 

[PG Canuck]

This city deserves a consistent winner! Aquaman isn’t getting the job done by cleaning house, if he’s ok with this losing atmosphere, he’s content being a loser. Need a Billionaire to try for a 2nd team in Vancouver, bring back the Millionaires!

Does it? This city really doesn’t care all that much from what I’ve seen. A Canucks game is just a chance to get out and do something in the city for a night.

The passion for this team isn’t even close to the levels of Calgary or Edmonton.

 

[AppleHoneySauce]

Does it? This city really doesn’t care all that much from what I’ve seen. A Canucks game is just a chance to get out and do something in the city for a night.

The passion for this team isn’t even close to the levels of Calgary or Edmonton.

Never having sustained success for more than 2 years and 0 cups will do that to a team. What memories does this team even have to rally around? The game 7 failures and subsiquent riots? Waving the whiteflag of surrender?
Heck we even have the 2nd worst overall record in the league only being better than arizona/og winnepeg.

Their is no passion cause this team has never even attempted to deserve. f*** everysingle vancouver owner.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

I disagree.

I think it was the raping this team of any hope.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

I thought it was fairly common speculation that Nonis was primarily fired due to his apprehension in acquiring Brad Richards at the deadline and FA pushed for it hard, yet the asking price was astronomical (it always gets pushed around here as some combination of Kesler, Edler, Schneider and Bourdon). Mostly looking back knowing what we know now, it's kinda like having a fresh perspective.

Me, I just miss when having a playoff conversion rate of below 50% would get you fired.

 

[tantalum]

I thought it was fairly common speculation that Nonis was primarily fired due to his apprehension in acquiring Brad Richards at the deadline and FA pushed for it hard, yet the asking price was astronomical (it always gets pushed around here as some combination of Kesler, Edler, Schneider and Bourdon). Mostly looking back knowing what we know now, it's kinda like having a fresh perspective.

Me, I just miss when having a playoff conversion rate of below 50% would get you fired.

Nonis was a horrible GM because he was too conservative. He was very good at assessing the team at the end of year and saying we need this, this and this. Problem is he tended to only address the items 5-8 instead of 1-4. But most importantly he had a backbone. At the end he did what was best for the team rather than himself. I don't expect this group to be that way... they will sell the entire future just to make the playoffs and call the year a success.

 

[likash]

The Canucks will never win anything under the current ownership....that's just the way it.

The highwater mark was the Sedin-Vigneault years a decade ago. And those teams were largely built by Burke and Nonis....the Sedins, Kesler, Luongo, Bieksa etc. all acquired or drafted by them. Gillis was a Aquilini hire, and all he did was ride the gravy train until the roster aged out.

But since 2012, and particularly with arrival of Linden and Benning, it's been all downhill. The Canucks remind me a lot of Oiler years before they drafted McDavid and Draisaitl.

The GM was always a member of the 80's Oiler old boy network. And they had three first overall draft picks and a bunch more in the first and second round, but never went anywhere. Only after Darryl Katz butted out and turned the helm over to Kenny Holland with compete autonomy, did things start to turn.

But Aquilini isn't smart enough or self-confident enough to ever let that happen in VanCity. So the treadmill to nowhere is destined to continue forever.

You just wanted to take a shoot at Gillis. If not for Gillis that core could have had the same trajectory as this one. They did miss the playoffs 2/3 years and only made it 2007 on the back of Luongo? It sounds familiar don't you think? Burke and Nonis did not build squat.Iron Make wanted Bertuzzi and gifted Nonis Luongo. Burke did draft the twins but he did fail at everything else. He was all talk. They guy could not get past the second round with a stacked team and WCE in their prime because he could not find a reliable goalie if it landed on his head. If Gillis did not come in 2008 with his vision, the franchise would still be going nowhere. I doubt you were following the team back then or you understood nothing about what it takes to put togheter a competent team on and off the ice.

 

[4Twenty]

The Canucks will never win anything under the current ownership....that's just the way it.

The highwater mark was the Sedin-Vigneault years a decade ago. And those teams were largely built by Burke and Nonis....the Sedins, Kesler, Luongo, Bieksa etc. all acquired or drafted by them. Gillis was a Aquilini hire, and all he did was ride the gravy train until the roster aged out.

But since 2012, and particularly with arrival of Linden and Benning, it's been all downhill. The Canucks remind me a lot of Oiler years before they drafted McDavid and Draisaitl.

The GM was always a member of the 80's Oiler old boy network. And they had three first overall draft picks and a bunch more in the first and second round, but never went anywhere. Only after Darryl Katz butted out and turned the helm over to Kenny Holland with compete autonomy, did things start to turn.

But Aquilini isn't smart enough or self-confident enough to ever let that happen in VanCity. So the treadmill to nowhere is destined to continue forever.

It’s wild to me that folks still don’t understand what team building is.

A GM drafting a player 8-12 years before a teams success didn’t build anything. Acquiring the pieces is the easy part. Fitting a championship caliber team under a salary cap is building.

Like really because Bieksa was a late rounder in 2001 the GM who drafted him is the reason for success a decade later? Even if he’s been fired for 7 years?

Insane. Imagine if the Canucks win a cup a decade from now. Can you honestly say Benning built it?


Ride the gravy train, like uh you know, adding and fitting it all under the cap and coming within one game.

It’s crazy the caps been around for 15 years and daily board posters still don’t get it.

 

[likash]

I thought it was fairly common speculation that Nonis was primarily fired due to his apprehension in acquiring Brad Richards at the deadline and FA pushed for it hard, yet the asking price was astronomical (it always gets pushed around here as some combination of Kesler, Edler, Schneider and Bourdon). Mostly looking back knowing what we know now, it's kinda like having a fresh perspective.

Me, I just miss when having a playoff conversion rate of below 50% would get you fired.

Best thing he ever did. He could not build a contender but at least he had the guts and honour not to cripple the team for a 2nd round exit at best. I will always respect him for that.