On the Canucks’ trade deadline plans
When asked about what Vancouver plans to do ahead of the NHL trade deadline (April 12), Benning said that he’s going to take a wait-and-see approach.
"We'll see where we're at the deadline and make the appropriate decisions at that time." - Jim Benning #Canucks
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 5, 2021
He followed up that statement with another that got a lot of buzz on Twitter, claiming that the team lives “day to day.”
"We live day to day. We're in today's world. We have a game against Toronto... we have a game tomorrow night, and the trade deadline is five weeks away and we'll wait until it's closer." - Jim Benning
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 5, 2021
Confusing statements
While the previous quotes make sense on the surface, they seem confusing considering that he said that the team “ran out of time” in trying to re-sign Tyler Toffoli during the offseason. If timing has been an issue in the past, why would he wait to make deals at the deadline?
What’s more worrying is the fact that he said the team will negotiate new deals for franchise cornerstones Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes after the deadline.
Jim Benning on doing the Pettersson and Hughes deals later in the season: After the deadline we'll have time. #Canucks @Sportsnet650
— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) March 5, 2021
After what happened with Toffoli, how could the team wait on contract talks with the two most important players in the entire organization?
Yes, I know that Pettersson and Hughes are RFAs and not UFAs, but if the negotiations stall, there’s a real threat of them sitting out to begin next season. We all saw what happened with William Nylander and the Maple Leafs a few years ago, and if Pettersson or Hughes — or both — goes down a similar path, then we can wave goodbye to the playoffs next year as well.
This same sentiment applies to Tanner Pearson too, although to a much lesser degree. Benning once again said that he plans on re-signing him, but will talk with his agent at a later date.
Jim Benning says the #Canucks haven't started talks with Tanner Pearson yet. @Sportsnet650
— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) March 5, 2021
If the team gets the sense that they won’t be able to bring Pearson back, then management needs to act now to try and find a trade partner. Remember, if a player who plays in the U.S. gets dealt to a Canadian team, they’ll need to enter a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, pushing their team debut back by several games. If Benning truly wants to trade Pearson, he’ll need to do it as soon as possible.
Those are just some highlights of Benning’s press conference, and he touched on some more subjects as well. But what do make of his statements, Canucks fans? Let us know in the comments below!