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Canucks Week 21 Preview: Jim Benning is Falling Behind in Trade Deadline

By Jeff Godley

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning announces Jake Virtanen (not pictured) as the number six overall pick to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning announces Jake Virtanen (not pictured) as the number six overall pick to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning announces Jake Virtanen (not pictured) as the number six overall pick to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Canucks GM Jim Benning has taken a wait-and-see approach to trade deadline negotiations, while Tampa and Arizona beat him to the punch.

Vancouver Canucks fans are eagerly waiting for the trade deadline, and hoping that general manager Jim Benning sees the light and triggers a full rebuild.

Vancouver just came off their five-day break. During that break, all the teams whom they are fighting for a playoff spot won multiple games. Their playoff odds, which were slim to begin with, have now fallen to less than one-percent. That makes two years in a row they have entered a trade deadline well out of the playoff picture.

Clearly, it’s time to sell off the veterans and build for the future.

When the GM confirmed on Friday that he asked all players with no-trade clauses for a list of teams, the mood among fans became cautiously optimistic. Maybe he would be proactive, get ahead of his competition and get a hefty return for Jannik Hansen, Alexandre Burrows or Ryan Miller. Could we be seeing the return of “Trader Jim”?

Every year, the NHL waits for the first shoe to drop at the deadline. On Sunday, it happened, and the Canucks were not involved.

First, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded Ben Bishop to the Los Angeles Kings:

Then, the Arizona Coyotes traded Martin Hanzal to the Minnesota Wild in a large, multi-player, multi-pick deal:

Both those deals are bad news for Vancouver. Rumors had circulated about Miller-to-LA and Hansen-to-Minnesota  possibilities. But whether “Trader” Jim’s asking price was too high, or he was just beaten to the table by Steve Yzerman and John Chayka, there are fewer trading options for Vancouver after today.

Good News, or Bad News?

But all is not lost. Matt Sekeres points out two pieces of good news:

The Coyotes got a boatload of assets in the Hanzal trade. If Benning was waiting to see how much he could get for his players, he just got his answer: a lot. 

Plus, Arizona retained 50-percent of Hanzal’s salary and cap hit. If the Wild still have interest in Hansen, they may have left themselves enough salary cap room to still make it work.

Then again, maybe they are interested in someone else altogether:

Just like Benning, fans will just have to “wait and see”. In the meantime, let’s preview the three games coming up this week.

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