I peeked over at Canucks.com forun for the first time 6 years, their activity is 10x more than here and most of it is pro-Benning and optimistic for next season.
It's a brand new slate next season and it's nice to see the broad fanbase renergized.
That is because they censored, sanitized and blocked most non cheerleaders, especially those that were able to see the logic or lack of logic in Benning's moves. I was able to "predict", guess, how each season would go and constantly reminded fans that the game is competitive and getting a participation ribbon was not a success.
I didn't go off on individual players, it wasn't Eriksson's fault Benning gave him his contract and I didn't blame everything under the sun for what the team ended up every year.
The old adage "The buck stops here" doesn't exist in Benning repertoire.
Fans blame the owners for interference and that might have been true under Gillis's final year but they retreated once they had to hire body guards for their kids. At that time the local media was intense in blaming them.
They stepped back totally and did nothing but sign checks and open the vault.
How some fans can believe they are hockey illiterate is laughable.
Apart from the Griffiths they have been some of the best owners in the league and IMO they should be much more involved. Like Schnieder was i for Philly when they were winners, Jacobs in Boston, Lemeiux in Pitt, Wirtz in Chicago, Vinik in Tampa, Foley in Vegas, Leonis in Washington and so forth. Even Melnyk in Ottawa drove his team to a lighting quick rebuild and TO.
At any rate we will have to wait to see how some of the regular season goes, usually the crap teams come out like they have a rocket up their arses.
At the start of the season ALL teams are contenders, they all start with the same points but by turkey day in the states most playoff spots are resolved, 70%+ and by the 2nd week in December 88%.
Benning high volume of work was a result of him not doing anything and saving it up so it could be praised, "Look how much he did!" of course this is because of "Look how much he didn't do and waited, again"
He got single minded again, and panicked, first sign was the Pearson deal and then paying extra for 2 guys that have less than 200 games in the NHL, Garland might be, MIGHT score some goals, 30? Not likely but then there is Poolman. But how did the team not invest in Zadorov? He went for a song and Van had a better tune to offer for a young giant with more than 200 games under his belt.
Benning insistence and the media reinforcing the idea that there are all these young guys on the team, who? Pettersson, Hughes and Hoglander? If any fans remember when Benning was first hired he purged the team of 25 to 29 year olds stating the team needed to get more youth.
I know a lot of fans really like Hughes but I see him as a position, as such he doesn't help the team, if anything he is hurting it. With most of his goals when on the ice he is the third or fourth player skating back into his zone. So much attention is needed by forwards to back him up it takes away from their game and creates an added pressure. Myers is called on the carpet when playing with him for a give away, but Hughes gives away 4 or 5 a game and silence.
Benning loves him no doubt, he has to fill the regular season with entertainment and having the little Huggy Bear dashing around all over the place does that, like seeing a little kid on the ice.
If all else fails to make a dent in those CDC cheerleaders there is the Benning records.
No Canuck GM -
has had as many 1rst round picks, as many top 10 picks (5)
Has had as many losses
Has spent so much money, over a billion dollars (includes operations)
Has traded away more draft picks 23, over 3 years worth of picks
Has lowered the franchise value by over 30%
Has ever had a flying Banner
Had the weakest team in Canada
But the meat is the 301 losses and 234 wins in 535 games, a winning percentage of .437%, with only Buffalo worse during the same 7 yr time period
Canucks only made the playoffs ONCE legitimately, it took a world wide epidemic, the NHL expanding on playoff teams, the NHL allowing the Canucks to play non playoff games while 13 million over the cap and mind blowing play by two goalies to even have any success, being out shot 3 to 1 or allowing 50 shots a game is not a system.
At this point I am looking over the new players and comparing them to what is gone, so far there is some improvement but not nearly enough to warrant thinking about a playoff spot.
Holby - Halak - baffling, the cost and cap hit end up being the same and it might be a downgrade
OEL - Edler, hard to say defensively Edler might have been better
Hamonic - should be about the same but a little older and slower
Poolman - an question mark, Schmidt was better, so a downgrade
Schenn - upgrade over ?
Hunt - someone brought in to make Hughes look not so tiny?
Garland - who the heck knows? Better than Virtanen, maybe
A whole raft of bottom six guys, quite a few failed last year when they got their chance.
Benning will be counting on other teams being worse but this group will need to beat;
San Jose
Anaheim
LA
Kraken
