Jim Benning gives dull, confusing statements in Canucks press conference
Today was the day, Vancouver Canucks fans! The day in which we got to hear general manager Jim Benning’s thoughts on the current season and where the team is headed for the future.
I’m not sure what you were all expecting, but the press conference went as well as I expected. Given Benning’s past interviews, I definitely didn’t think that he was going to drop any bombshells or make any shocking statements, which is exactly what happened.
Here’s a brief recap of worthwhile things that he said during the conference.
On why the team has struggled this year
After advancing to game seven of the second round during last season’s playoffs, expectations were high for the Canucks coming into this year.
As everyone knows by now, the team has fallen short of those projections in a dramatic fashion.
When asked about why Vancouver has struggled so far, Benning blamed it on the team’s condensed schedule and short training camp.
Jim Benning speaks.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 5, 2021
"We started the season, had the week training camp, no exhibition games... I think part of our problems early on were we played 16 games in 25 nights."
Insists lack of practice time hurt his club, has been better of late with a less dense schedule. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/klBXhgdix6
He’s not wrong in making those claims, as the Canucks have indeed played the most number of games out of every team in the league. The problem is that fans didn’t want to hear any excuses given, but unfortunately, that was a common theme throughout the press conference.
On when the team will be ready to compete
There’s no doubt that Vancouver has assembled one of the most potent young cores in the NHL, but their cup window will be delayed by the exorbitant amount of cap that has been allocated to the team’s depth players.
When asked about when the Canucks might be ready to compete, Benning gave a very simple reply.
“In two years time, I think we’re going to be real competitive.” #Canucks GM Jim Benning.
— David Quadrelli (@QuadrelliD) March 5, 2021
This isn’t something fans would like to hear, especially considering he said that the team could be turned around in a hurry back in 2014 when he was first hired.
That lack of a cohesive plan and vision is arguably the biggest issue holding the Canucks back. When Benning first took the job, it was obvious that he wanted to do a fast retool and get back into the playoffs to maximize the twilight seasons of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin’s illustrious careers.
However, even after it became evident that those mid-2010 teams were in desperate need of a full-on rebuild, Benning and the management group continued to trade away draft picks for players that could contribute right away.
As a result, we’re now in year seven of having Benning at the helm, and according to him, it’s going to take another two years before this team’s ready to compete. In other words, it would’ve been almost a decade before Vancouver was competitive again.
Not a great look.
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.
dark. Next. The Canucks should trade Pearson for Leafs prospect Timothy Liljegren
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!