Vancouver Canucks roundtable: Scoring leaders, playoff chances, more

5. If the Canucks are a bottom-five team again, does Jim Benning get fired?

Scott Rosenhek

I don’t even know anymore. Three straight bottom-five finishes couldn’t do it. However, I believe the key is in how the Canucks get there. If they get pulverized night in and night out, I don’t think ownership will be happy. Elias Pettersson struggling in any way will not help and if Vancouver is already out of the playoffs by December, maybe just maybe, the axe will fall on Jim Benning.

Alex Hoegler

Nope. The Canucks gave Benning a contract extension in February further showing that ownership has full confidence in his vision for the future. Love or hate Benning, but the man has given Vancouver its best pool of prospects ever.

The Canucks can’t start making a series of head coaching and GM changes. There aren’t exactly any other candidates that are must-haves. Who would the Canucks hire to replace Benning if he got fired?

Give Benning a couple of more years before ownership thinks about firing him. Benning’s plan is slowly coming together, and it wouldn’t make sense to fire him because Vancouver secured another top draft selection in 2019 with a porous season.

Andrew Nazareth

He will not get fired. If Trevor Linden’s dismissal is any indication, Benning is ownership’s man.

Say what you want about his asset management or vision of the rebuild, the Canucks drafting record (particularly in the later rounds) has improved vastly under his watch. Drafting is the number priority right now, and Benning is doing a good job. He is safe.

Chris Faber

Nope, Benning would need to have the complete train fall off the tracks for himself to be fired this year. Ownership is confident in Jim Benning, and after the Linden situation, they seem to have convinced the owners that he’s the man for the job.

Clearly, Benning has done a good job in the draft department. But if he were to make anymore egregious trades or signings, then his job will be questioned. If he can avoid making any new headache deals for the Canucks moving forward, Benning will keep his job. The scouting team and personal expertise in the draft is vital to have as a strength, moving forward in this rebuild.

Tyler Shipley

In my view, he should have never been extended. His mistakes far outweigh his successes. I worry that his leash is still too long.

Everyone expects a bottom-five finish, so it won’t come as a surprise, and therefore Jimbo might avoid some of the heat that would fall on a GM who has a disappointing season. Unfortunately I don’t think we are into the realm of moving on from Jim.