Vancouver Canucks: Jim Benning’s top 5 moves as general manager
Jim Benning was appointed as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks on May 23rd 2014, and has divided the opinions of Canucks fans ever since. Today, we look back at the top five moves of his five years in charge.
General manager Jim Benning splits the opinions of Vancouver Canucks fans like few other figures in the organization. After so many successful years under previous GM Mike Gillis, it is hard for some Canucks fans to reconcile to the harsh reality of that sustained period of success, coupled with such underwhelming and franchise-gutting drafting. This team was never going to compete quickly with its empty prospect pipeline.
While we as fans have struggled for years to determine whether the Canucks are rebuilding, retooling, or simply plodding along without a plan, Benning has made several important moves as GM that have put the organization in a good position to climb out of the NHL’s basement, and challenge for playoff positions in the coming seasons.
It’s not going to be easy, and the Canucks will need plenty of luck (and good health), but few Canucks fans can argue that Benning has failed to — eventually — bring through young players to change the outlook for this team.
There are several moves Benning made that didn’t make the cut: squeezing a 2nd round pick out of the Anaheim Ducks for Kevin Bieksa, getting two picks for Eddie Lack, and acquiring the pick we used to select Adam Gaudette in exchange for Raphael Diaz’s services. In time, perhaps the selections of Michael DiPietro, Jett Woo and Tyler Madden make their way on to the list – but for now, let’s look at what did make the cut.
We look back at Benning’s five best moves since becoming GM of the Canucks — let us know if we’ve missed one!
5: Two deals with the Flames
In his first couple of years as GM of the Canucks, Benning made two trades with the Calgary Flames that have had a very positive impact on the performances of this team. It’s a surprise he’s not been back to tap that particular well, because the Canucks have profited nicely from those two deals thus far.
In the first, he sent a 2015 2nd round pick to the Flames in exchange for Swiss winger Sven Baertschi. Then 22 years old, Baertschi was an inconsistent winger that had showed glimpses of his talent, but hadn’t yet been able to make a real mark at the NHL level. In the four years since his arrival, Baertschi has struggled to stay healthy, but has still produced 58-50-108 in 219 games.
On balance this was a perfectly good trade, although the breakout of Rasmus Andersson for the Flames this season (whom they selected with that pick) means that this trade has also worked out for the rivals.
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The second trade was one that had Canucks fans raging at the time. In Feb. 2016 Benning sent former first-round pick Hunter Shinkaruk to the Flames, acquiring depth forward Markus Granlund in exchange.
I’m sure there are Canucks fans out there who are still angry at the apparent misuse of the team’s assets — but they shouldn’t be. Shinkaruk’s game has systematically unraveled, becoming a 10-point AHL player while watching Granlund become a solid 20-point NHL forward who could be used more effectively.
Both these deals were relatively low-key in their returns, but have produced good results for Benning. We could do with more of these trades over the next couple of years, because even apparent slam-dunk wins such as the Alex Burrows/Jonathan Dahlen and Jannik Hansen/Nikolay Goldobin trades haven’t actually panned out like we all thought.
4: Trading Ryan Kesler
Ryan Kesler was a dynamic, game-changing powerhouse for the Canucks. He was also a thorn in Jim Benning’s side, as he made it very clear that he didn’t believe the team was capable of challenging for Stanley Cups, and that he wanted to play for a contender.
Despite being given a minuscule list of teams whom Kesler would accept a trade to — just the Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks depending on which rumors you believe — Benning did well to secure the return that he did. Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa and the Ducks’ 2014 first and third round picks were the assets squeezed out of the Canucks’ Pacific Division rivals.
In hindsight, the return was not particularly great, but the alternative would actually be much worse. Imagine having a physically-ruined Kesler on a $6.875 million AAV contract until the end of the 2021-22 season.
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A Kesler who has produced just 22 points in his last 104 games, with a minus-23 rating. Then imagine being forced to protect him in the Vegas and Seattle expansions because he demanded a NMC. Things would have been a whole lot worse had we kept Kesler around.
The departure of Kesler saw a big headache removed from the Canucks’ locker room, and it gave the team a middle six center, a middle-pairing defenceman plus Jared McCann, whom the Canucks selected with that first round pick.
All things considered, this was a key moment in Benning’s early days as GM, and it went about as well as one could hope for given Kesler’s refusal to widen his list of potential destinations.
3: Drafting Quinn Hughes
Ever since Christian Ehrhoff left the Canucks to chase a Stanley Cup with the Buffalo Sabres, this team has been crying out for a top four defenceman capable of moving the puck, quarterbacking the power play, and maybe even carrying the puck up the ice a la Scott Niedermayer.
While Benning made the valiant attempt to acquire said puck-moving defenceman via trade, the acquisition of Derrick Pouliot never really paid off, and the Canucks have now decided to move on from his services.
A huge reason for that decision is that the Canucks now have an elite puck-moving defenceman. Quinn Hughes was selected seventh overall at the 2018 draft by Benning and his scouting team, and fans everywhere rejoiced at the good fortune.
Hughes should never have fallen that low (blame Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka for going off-grid and selecting Barrett Hayton at No.5), and Benning somehow managed to pick up a player who is the envy of every team in the league.
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When Canucks fans are asked to name their all-time favorite defencemen, there are several names that come up. Jyrki Lumme. Mattias Ohlund. Dennis Kearns. Ed Jovanovski. Doug Lidster. Sami Salo. Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis, known together as Juicy Hammer. Alex Edler too.
It won’t be long before Quinn Hughes’ name is added to that list.
Amongst that list you can see traits like scoring, puck-moving, determination, heart, skill, dedication and loyalty. The young man from Orlando, Florida ticks all those boxes, and despite having played in just five NHL games, there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most exciting defencemen to have ever played for the Canucks.
He has a huge future ahead of him, and we should be grateful that Benning didn’t go full-Chayka and select someone else. Hughes will be the offensive leader on the Canucks’ blueline next season.
2: Drafting Brock Boeser
After making the playoffs in 2014-15 and falling in six games to the Flames, the Canucks were reduced to picking 23rd overall at the 2015 draft.
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In doing so, he improved his stock as an excellent judge of talent by selecting one of the very best players of the entire 2015 draft at No. 23: Brock Boeser.
Besides the Carolina Hurricanes’ selection of Sebastian Aho at 35th overall, Boeser was the best pick from 19th overall onward in what turned out to be one stacked draft class.
Benning could have selected Travis Konecny, who went 24th overall, or Anthony Beauvillier, who went 28th overall.
Instead, he selected Boeser, who was ranked just 27th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
The selection of Boeser with the 23rd overall pick was a masterstroke by the Canucks. Whether it was Benning’s pick, whether it was fan favorite Judd Brackett, or Ron Delorme – it doesn’t actually matter.
What matters is that, under Jim Benning, the Canucks made a hugely important selection that has given them an elite sniper who could one day challenge Daniel Sedin’s franchise record for goals.
1: Drafting Elias Pettersson
The 2017 draft was a hotbed of young talent. With the No. 5 overall pick, the Vancouver Canucks had a difficult choice: with all the best players on the board being forwards, should they select Cody Glass, Casey Mittelstadt, Owen Tippett or Gabriel Vilardi?
Come the day, Jim Benning surprised many Canucks fans by selecting the Swedish dark horse, Elias Pettersson. It has already proven to be the single best move Jim Benning has made during his five years as General Manager.
Pettersson spent the 2017-18 camaign back home in Sweden, setting astonishing new records in the Swedish Hockey League and getting the hype machine in Vancouver into overdrive. On his debut for the Canucks, he scored a goal and added an assist.
Pettersson set all sorts of records with ten goals and six assists in his first ten NHL games; and with his season culminating in him breaking the Canucks’ all-time rookie scoring record once held by Pavel Bure, it’s been a year of incredible moments and hope for the future.
When Pettersson wins the Calder Trophy in recognition of his highlight reel plays and his 28 goals, 38 assists and seven game-winning-goals, it will be vindication for Benning and his scouting team. They hit a home run with the pick, and the Canucks will have a franchise center for years to come. Look for Pettersson to become land a deal of $10-plus million a season when a new deal can be agreed on July 1, 2020.
While not universally popular, Benning has now put together the building blocks for the Canucks to get back into contention in the coming years. The Canuks have a franchise center, a top second line center, a true sniper, a puck-moving defenceman and a very good goalie. Add to that the potential additions to come, and this team is now in a good position to kick on and start fighting for a playoff spot.
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It may have taken five years, but these moves have helped make this team one of the best young teams in the league — we have a lot to look forward to under Jim Benning’s leadership.