Benning on prospects, roster spots
Benning spoke about prospects, Vasili Podkolzin and Nils Hoglander, as well as other players fighting for roster spots like Zack MacEwen and Jayce Hawryluk. He expects them to challenge for a spot as well as Hoglander. He also expects defencemen like Jalen Chatfield, Brogan Rafferty and Jack Rathbone to compete for spots.
On Podkolzin, Benning would like to get him signed after his KHL season ends and he has high hopes for him.
“We’d like to get Podkolzin signed after his season,” he said, “he’s a big body guy that takes the puck to the net and can make plays and goes and gets the puck to make plays. I think his game is going to adapt to the NHL game because of the size and strength and hockey sense. He could be a guy that could end up with Pearson and Horvat.”
Benning on the uncertainty of the upcoming NHL season
At the time of the writing, we don’t know much about the upcoming NHL season except for the fact that the Canucks will likely play in an All-Canadian division.
Ongoing contact between the NHL and NHLPA today. So the lines of communication remain open. But no major developments that I'm aware of.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 3, 2020
Benning spoke about this and he said VP of Communications Chris Brumwell and assistant GM and chief legal officer Chris Gear have been checking with the BC Health ministry regarding protocols. He is also unsure of the league’s plans especially with the Utica Comets and calling up players and hopes the Canucks will be prepared for whatever the situation will be.
"“So, you know, with the protocols for testing for cleaning the room after the players or you know, in the in the weight room or on the ice the dressing room. We understand we’ve kind of been through it, but this is a whole now this, we’re talking about a season and we don’t know, what it’s going to look like if we’re going to be in an all Canadian Division. We don’t know about our American League teams in Utica and if we’re to call players up, it’s going to be a two week quarantine before they can play. Us, Calgary and Edmonton are kind of all in that situation where American League teams are in the US, so it’s gonna be hard to call players up what is the league going to do, you know, for us? Are they gonna let us carry a few extra players on a taxi squad to figure that out? So that’s kind of what we’re doing every day is figuring out the logistics as to what the season looks like. We’re prepared for anything that can come up because that’s basically the situation we’re in right now.”"
Like all Canucks fans, Benning is itching for hockey to come back and we still don’t know how or when or even if there will be a season at all. I’m so bored I started watching Christmas Hallmark movies to pass the time.