If Jim Benning were a better public speaker, people would probably have a better opinion of him as an NHL General Manager. That may not be entirely fair, but it鈥檚 true.
Even if Benning were a management genius and a hockey savant, his inability to express himself clearly in public forums would undercut that brilliance. When Benning has a microphone in front of his face, he tends to stumble.
It led to when he talked about P.K. Subban and Steven Stamkos when they were still signed by other teams. He seemed heading into this year鈥檚 trade deadline. Other times trying to figure out what he means is a confusing endeavour as he (and Trevor Linden) that . And sometimes he that verge on unexamined xenophobic beliefs.
More than anything, Benning鈥檚 inability to clearly express himself, combined with some of his poorer moves as Canucks GM, has given him a reputation as a bit of a rube. At times, we鈥檝e had to question whether Benning has .
At Pass it to Bulis, we may have exploited that reputation for some from time to time, but we also have to be fair to Benning: and he and his management team committed to rebuilding, they started making a lot of smart moves.
Benning nailed the trade deadline, adding two promising prospects to the pool. At the draft, Benning focussed on speed and skill, selecting a potential first-line centre fifth overall, two high-scoring wingers in the second round, one of the top goaltending prospects available in the third round, and made .
In free agency, Benning filled in gaps left by departing players with some . He seemed to have learned his lesson from past summers, avoiding shackling the team with any long-term contracts. In addition, his re-signing of restricted free agents this off-season has shown an uncharacteristic restraint, , who he signed to just a one-year deal.
All in all, these past several months have given off the impression that the Canucks have a clearer vision for the future than at any point in Jim Benning鈥檚 tenure.
But these past several months haven鈥檛 been enough to salvage Benning鈥檚 reputation around the league or even with Canucks fans. based on survey results from 1300 hockey fans. The Canucks ranked just short of dead last.
In fact, they landed in 30th place, ahead of only the Colorado Avalanche. Fans around the league rated the Canucks front office as below-average in every element of the poll: roster building, cap management, drafting and development, trading, free agency, and vision.
Even taking into account the rankings only by Canucks fans who responded, the Canucks were still below-average in every element except for drafting and development. If you look only at responses from Canucks fans, Benning and his team still finish 28th overall.
It鈥檚 not hard to understand why: the Canucks have made some seriously questionable moves in the past, several of which will continue to impact the team for years to come. Benning has a long way to go to salvage his reputation and prove that he can put together a winning roster, but his recent moves have put him on the right track.
In the meantime, Benning will just have to take a page from Joan Jett and Lindsay Weir:
