Vancouver Canucks: Jim Benning Wins Deadline, Starts Rebuild
By Alex Hoegler
Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning traded away veterans Alexandre Burrows and Jannik Hansen — and won the trade deadline
One year ago, the Vancouver Canucks were a major letdown at the trade deadline. They were among the worst teams in the Western Conference and were expected to ship away pending free agents Dan Hamhuis and/or Radim Vrbata while securing draft picks and possibly young prospects to help their rebuilding plan.
But shortly after 3 PM eastern time, Canucks fans learned that Hamhuis and Vrbata would finish the season in Vancouver. Figuratively, both left and signed with new teams — Hamhuis going to the Dallas Stars and Vrbata returning to the Arizona Coyotes. It was another frustrating day at the office, as the Canucks (who needed to begin this rebuild), didn’t get anything for a pair of quality veterans.
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Fast forward a year later, and Benning fully redeemed himself. He traded Alexandre Burrows to the Ottawa Senators for a slick prospect, Jonathan Dahlen — the 42nd-overall pick in last year’s Entry Draft. Dahlen had six points for Sweden at the World Juniors and provides the Canucks with a young left winger to get excited about.
A day later, speedster Jannik Hansen was dealt to Pacific Division rivals, the San Jose Sharks, in exchange for another flashy left wing prospect, Nikolay Goldobin and a fourth-round pick. That pick becomes a first-round selection if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup. Goldobin has 15 goals and 41 points in 46 games with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.
So, two Canucks veterans who aren’t the reliable scorers they used to be get flipped in exchange for a pair of left wing prospects to strengthen this team’s farm system? Well done, Mr. Benning. That’s a trade deadline winner.
It also signals that Vancouver may finally be prepared to commit towards a full-on rebuild, something fans have been clamoring for since the end of the John Tortorella days. And about those concerns that this team won’t rebuild, since it’s unfair to Daniel and Henrik Sedin?
Benning met with the Sedins Monday to explain the direction of the team. "They're on board and excited about what we're doing."
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 1, 2017
The Canucks appear destined for another top-five pick (should the draft lottery be friendlier in 2017), which gives them another potential star to build around.
Vancouver appears to finally be giving up on the dream of icing a playoff team. There is no more rebuilding-on-the-fly. This is a strip-it-all-down-and-restart rebuild. This is a rebuild that consists of loading up on draft selections and young prospects.
Next: Get to Know Jonathan Dahlen
Some fans were getting ultra-frustrated with this team’s obsession with trying to go for the playoffs, but that doesn’t appear to be the case at this point. The Vancouver Canucks have to hit the full restart button, but the difference now is that the front office knows it and is committed to it.