The Jim Benning and Management Megathread - CAD got you down? He has you covered

[Bourne Endeavor]

I can't believe that SJ would take on 10.5m in capspace from Bieksa and Miller sending back 2 picks. We'd have to take a cap dump or something, wouldn't we?

Honestly, I don't think Benning has the skills to get a 2nd round pick for Miller. While the scenario makes sense, I'm not sure. Could it have been Miller, Bieksa and Kassian for two 2nds? Christ, that would still be better than what we got.

My guess is we would either take back a cap dump or San Jose inquired about both, but the media ran with the idea the two picks were for Bieksa. I doubt they would have taken both. Incidentally, they do doubt asked about Lack too. Which means Benning likely turned down a better offer because it was in the division.

The more pieces to this puzzle we find. The more it looks worse.

It wouldn't take any weaseling at all. Benning has been very up front that he didn't want Lack. He signed Miller, then used Lack sparsely until Miller's injury. They showed no love for him at any juncture. Rushing an unready Miller back in the playoffs meant Lack's time was ended.

Lack crapping out in the playoffs was still an open wound when Benning saw Markstrom go on a run in the AHL. So, he acted. It's all pretty transparent. Benning isn't machiavellian, moving wheels within wheels. He is reactionary. Where Burke would drive a player to the airport, Benning throws all the player's **** out onto the lawn. He didn't seek return, he wanted closure.

This is how Benning operated all Summer, asshurt about the Calgary series, offloading playoff fails.

Touche.

Although, I was more referring to the watching him attempt to deflect the absolute scorn he would get. Both Benning and Linden had better hope their gambles start to pay off. If they are already frustrated by our fanbase. They have seen nothing yet.

 

[JuniorNelson]

I heard Benning speak on the radio yesterday and I was struck not by what he said, but how he said it. He spouts grammatical errors like a comedy routine. He absolutely sounds like a dummy. I am sure this must have an impact in negotiations.

Benning: We seen your boy, Prust, there.
Bergevin: Seen him, did you?
Benning: Yup. What would you take for him?
Bergevin: Hmm.

 

[vanuck]

You can't hide in this market. If Kassian was being Shane O'Brien, we would have heard about it ... like O'Brien. There is literally zero evidence that this is a thing. The most scandalous stories are that people saw him having a beer at a pub with Tanev and Lack. I'm sure he needed to knuckle down a bit more as he grew into being a top player, but there was nothing unusual about how he carried himself for a young NHL player, and to see people trying to turn him into Darryl Strawberry or something is a joke.

This. I saw Stanton and Tanev having a cold one once in downtown. Maybe Tanev is the next one to be shipped out of Van then I guess.

 

[vanuck]

Fried mans 30 thoughts

17. In July, Canucks GM Jim Benning said he could have traded Ryan Miller. Best intel I could find indicated the likeliest possibility was San Jose. The Sharks went out and got Martin Jones, as Benning is committed to Miller.

That would have been hilarious, traded the worse goalie to a team in the division and get assets for it? **** Jim

Lawl. Just blind incompetence if true. A golden opportunity to get rid of his contract while making a division rival worse? **** off Benning.

 

[Scurr]

This. I saw Stanton and Tanev having a cold one once in downtown. Maybe Tanev is the next one to be shipped out of Van then I guess.

Were they injured at the time?

 

[MS]

Fried mans 30 thoughts

17. In July, Canucks GM Jim Benning said he could have traded Ryan Miller. Best intel I could find indicated the likeliest possibility was San Jose. The Sharks went out and got Martin Jones, as Benning is committed to Miller.

That would have been hilarious, traded the worse goalie to a team in the division and get assets for it? **** Jim

Jesus Christ.

It really is impossible to believe how incompetent this guy is.

Now that Ruben Amaro Jr. of the Phillies has been fired, I feel pretty comfortable saying he's the worst GM in North American professional sports.

 

[Josepho]

"They don't like losing" - Jim Benning on Brandon Sutter and Brandon Prust.

Really now? I thought they'd be thrilled to lose.

 

[arsmaster*]

Were they injured at the time?

What does it matter?

 

[Pip]

Were they injured at the time?

Why does that matter? It shouldn't and i think you know this. Going out and having a drink after you have rehabbing and doing your workouts isn't the sign of some huge character flaw. No different than Tanev and Stanton going out.

 

[Scurr]

Why does that matter? It shouldn't and i think you know this. Going out and having a drink after you have rehabbing and doing your workouts isn't the sign of some huge character flaw. No different than Tanev and Stanton going out.

Because it shows a lack of commitment. There are things you can do to speed up recovery like getting rest and cleaning up your diet. Going out drinking is like the last thing you want to do when trying to recover because of how it affects your body.

 

[Pip]

Because it shows a lack of commitment. There are things you can do to speed up recovery like getting rest and cleaning up your diet. Going out drinking is like the last thing you want to do when trying to recover because of how it affects your body.

Is that really sufficient evidence to prove that he wasn't committed to his recovery? It seems ridiculous to criticize someone who likely spent hours everyday focused on rehabbing because they decided to go out one night. I'm sure he was getting plenty of rest.

 

[Ho Borvat]

Because it shows a lack of commitment. There are things you can do to speed up recovery like getting rest and cleaning up your diet. Going out drinking is like the last thing you want to do when trying to recover because of how it affects your body.

Is that really sufficient evidence to prove that he wasn't committed to his recovery? It seems ridiculous to criticize someone who likely spent hours everyday focused on rehabbing because they decided to go out one night. I'm sure he was getting plenty of rest.

I saw Jason Garrison at The Local in Kits the other week having a rum and coke on a hot summers day.

How dare he. Clearly not dedicated.

 

[Scurr]

Is that really sufficient evidence to prove that he wasn't committed to his recovery? It seems ridiculous to criticize someone who likely spent hours everyday focused on rehabbing because they decided to go out one night. I'm sure he was getting plenty of rest.

You have no idea how committed he was to his rehab. All we know is that the team had an issue with him being out on the town while he was rehabbing. IMO teams have a right to hold players to high standards, they pay handsomely to do so.

 

[Pip]

You have no idea how committed he was to his rehab. All we know is that the team had an issue with him being out on the town while he was rehabbing. IMO teams have a right to hold players to high standards, they pay handsomely to do so.

Neither do you, so I don't know why we are assuming he wasn't committed. If this was any other player I have a hard time imagining that they would recieve the same level of criticism.

As for the team not being happy. I do remember things being said about that but not any concrete comments about it. I'll look them up later when I'm not on my phone but I have a feeling that once again it's being blown out of proportion.

 

[RandV]

Is that really sufficient evidence to prove that he wasn't committed to his recovery? It seems ridiculous to criticize someone who likely spent hours everyday focused on rehabbing because they decided to go out one night. I'm sure he was getting plenty of rest.

I think that's nonsense too, but my personal theory last December on why the coaching staff & management suddenly blew up on Kassian is that there was something they didn't like with his commitment while sitting out a month with a finger injury. Not saying this would be right or wrong on either side and this is something you'll never know as a fan, but that explanation would make the most sense to me with how the situation suddenly went SNAFU.

 

[arsmaster*]

How do we know the team had issue with kassian and his rehab. Is there a link?


Is this kinda like the issue with Daryl Sutter and Willie Mitchell?

 

[MS]

The whole thing just reeks of the same process as the Seguin deal.

Young player is going through some minor growing pains off-ice, so instead of working with that player to improve ... massive knee-jerk reaction and make an awful trade just to get him out of town.

After the way Benning was gung-ho on trading Seguin, not surprising that he's lose the plot again if a young player went out and had a couple beers while out of the lineup.

 

[thepuckmonster]

The whole thing just reeks of the same process as the Seguin deal.

Young player is going through some minor growing pains off-ice, so instead of working with that player to improve ... massive knee-jerk reaction and make an awful trade just to get him out of town.

After the way Benning was gung-ho on trading Seguin, not surprising that he's lose the plot again if a young player went out and had a couple beers while out of the lineup.

If Kassian had close to the amount of skill that Seguin has I'd agree with you. Unfortunately that's not the case, Seguin is a franchise player, Kassian is not. That's not being disingenuous, that's just the truth. It doesn't make the trade better but there doesn't need to be sensationalizing to emphasize that.

Kass has played under 4 different coaches for 5 years. They all have the same thing to say. This isn't the same as Seguin liking to party a little harder after he won a cup and got a "stanley cup champian" tattoo. Seguin has scored over 70 points, Kassian has 29 and we all have to re-iterate that it was WITHOUT PP time because it needs to be enforced about that 0.3PPG. They're not even remotely the same kind of player and I really dislike Seguin and like Kassian.

 

[tantalum]

I'm guessing that despite repeatedly being told to do so, Kassian never got rid of his sideburns (Mattingly on the Simpsons of course). Or perhaps his hair was too long (what Mattingly's manager suspended him for in real life).

 

[arsmaster*]

The premise is the same.

 

[Jyrki21]

effort isn't optional. You can't make a team wait half a decade for you to start buying in.
And If you do... they'll find someone who will. If he worked his ass off most games he wouldn't have had the coaches so frustrated.

If Kassian has the world's worst effort and yet still produces, what does it even matter? Effort is the means, not the end. Kassian showed he was a good player and put up points in the two-and-a-half opportunities that the coaches gave him.

Turns out we could have moved Miller, and the return on Lack was garbage.

Even in spite of Friedman's statement, I'll bet there was nothing more than tire-kicking going on with a bit of due diligence by the Sharks. Is San Jose really going to turf Niemi for a $6 million Miller?

Although that makes Benning less of a liar (but still a liar), since that would technically meant he got "a call" about Miller. I still say there's no realistic way he could have traded him, except maybe by taking on an albatross contract (which he wouldn't even consider, since Miller is a star in his mind).

 

[RandV]

How do we know the team had issue with kassian and his rehab. Is there a link?


Is this kinda like the issue with Daryl Sutter and Willie Mitchell?

Please don't mistake me for slander or whatever. I clearly said that this was my theory on what happened, not that it's actually what happened.

All we know is that

1. Before the December injury there was no apparent problem with Kassian. He wasn't scoring yet sure, but he was a key part of an effective 3rd line with Matthias and Richardson. When the Canucks had 13 healthy skaters for a few games other guys were getting sat while this line remained together.

2. About a week before he was due back there was this sudden public blow up that management/coaching wasn't happy with Kassian and were trying to trade him (or something like that). When he came off the IR it was straight into the doghouse/press box.

So considering only what we saw happening can you think of a better reason for why #2 happened?

 

[Jyrki21]

If Kassian had close to the amount of skill that Seguin has I'd agree with you. Unfortunately that's not the case, Seguin is a franchise player, Kassian is not. That's not being disingenuous, that's just the truth. It doesn't make the trade better but there doesn't need to be sensationalizing to emphasize that.

Kass has played under 4 different coaches for 5 years. They all have the same thing to say. This isn't the same as Seguin liking to party a little harder after he won a cup and got a "stanley cup champian" tattoo. Seguin has scored over 70 points, Kassian has 29 and we all have to re-iterate that it was WITHOUT PP time because it needs to be enforced about that 0.3PPG. They're not even remotely the same kind of player and I really dislike Seguin and like Kassian.

Yes, if Benning is not only willing -- but pressing -- to let style rule over substance in the case of an ultra-talented player like Seguin, it's a million times easier decision for him to do with a guy like Kassian (and everyone else).

The whole point is that his stance on Seguin is an absolutely atrocious indictment of his judgment as a hockey executive. So it's cold comfort that Kassian won't be as good as Seguin. Either way the reasoning is poor, and he should have learned that from the Seguin episode.

 

[thepuckmonster]

The premise is the same.

There's better ways to make an argument than the concept that Kassian and Seguin are somehow in the same stratosphere. Literally all you can say that they have in common was being born in SW Ontario.

The narrative of Benning being the sole responsibility behind the Seguin trade is getting old. It was a stupid trade but also remember that the guy running Edmonton that's "changing the guard and re-inventing" the team is the same one that wanted Seguin gone. They won a cup together on the same team (ironically beating us, you know, the best regular season team since 1976-1977). You can't laud one with out the other, there's enough reasons to crap on Benning without making stupid strawman things about Seguin.

 

[tantalum]

Please don't mistake me for slander or whatever. I clearly said that this was my theory on what happened, not that it's actually what happened.

All we know is that

1. Before the December injury there was no apparent problem with Kassian. He wasn't scoring yet sure, but he was a key part of an effective 3rd line with Matthias and Richardson. When the Canucks had 13 healthy skaters for a few games other guys were getting sat while this line remained together.

2. About a week before he was due back there was this sudden public blow up that management/coaching wasn't happy with Kassian and were trying to trade him (or something like that). When he came off the IR it was straight into the doghouse/press box.

So considering only what we saw happening can you think of a better reason for why #2 happened?

But you are missing a number 3....that when he got back in the lineup management praised his play prior to the back injury.

You can't put that back in the bottle or at the very least you can't say they weren't telling the truth there but are with the other reasons.

The real truth, I think, is something quite simple and pretty much what to me Benning has said. Benning wanted Prust. Kassian was the asking price. He made the deal. No other explanation is needed. Had the asking price been Higgins the deal would have been made with Higgins. Same with the Sutter trade. Why did he include Clendening? Well in his own words the Pens asked for him. He specifically targetted Sutter and Prust and provided the asking price wasn't a Sedin, Horvat, Tanev, Edler, Miller or a handful of others he makes the deal.

What I'm saying is that while he had guys up on the trade block and Kassian is likely one of those guys he would have made these Prust and Sutter deals for any of those trade block guys. If the Habs wanted Higgins, Kassian would be still wearing canuck blue. Any other stuff the organization has said to me is just after the fact rationalization because acquiring Prust at the expense of Kassian was met with shock by the fan base and the hockey world.