Praising Jim Benning isn鈥檛 something I do very often. He鈥檚 a polarizing figure, and while I don鈥檛 land firmly in either camp, I鈥檇 be closer aligned to the 鈥渘ays.鈥� Benning鈥檚 tenure has been nothing if not eventful. His propensity to make numerous small moves has garnered him the nickname 鈥淭rader Jim.鈥�
Case in point: this week Benning acquired defenceman Derrick Pouliot in exchange for Andrey Pedan and a 2018 fourth round pick.
It鈥檚 hard to get a bead on his strategy. Some trades have left me scratching my head more than a . Benning has a long list of moves and it鈥檚 difficult to parse.
Or maybe not.
Here are some of the young players acquired in the last few years:
- Sven Baertschi, 2011 first round pick (13th)
- Markus Granlund, 2011 second round pick (45th)
- Erik Gudbranson, 2010 first round pick (3rd)
- Alexander Burmistrov, 2010 first round pick (8th)
- Derrick Pouliot, 2012 first round pick (8th)
Those are just players currently on the roster. There have been other experiments that have since moved on.
- Luca Sbisa, 2008 first round pick (19th)
- Emerson Etem, 2010 first round pick (29th)
- Adam Clendening, 2011 second round pick (36th)
So what鈥檚 the big deal? Lots of squads have high picks in their lineup. High draft picks are .
First, it highlights that 麻豆传媒映画is still cleaving to a philosophy articulated early in Jim Benning鈥檚 tenure: the Canucks feel they lack depth in the mid-20s age category. But there鈥檚 a stronger pattern: each of these players was a highly regarded prospect that fizzled before being snapped up by Vancouver. Benning just loves these guys.
The thing is, his strategy has worked. Derrick Pouliot is a worthwhile bet, because a couple of his past gambles have paid off.
Has every move been a success? Not even close.
Etem was a flyer, acquired for Vancouver鈥檚 own 29th overall pick, Nicklas Jensen. It was a wash; Etem didn鈥檛 pan out, but neither did Jensen.
Luca Sbisa was tossed in on the Ryan Kesler trade and quickly got overpaid on a new contract. While he didn鈥檛 coalesce into the top-four guy Benning hoped for, he did log 199 games in blue and green, and he served as an effective heat shield during the Vegas expansion draft. (And an all-star whipping boy for the fanbase.)
Adam Clendening was a poor choice, especially at the expense of now-NHLer Gustav Forsling. He lasted just 17 games in Vancouver, but found a bit of success with the New York Rangers last season and is now with the Arizona Coyotes.
Erik Gudbranson was also questionable. Losing Jared McCann and a second round pick still seems obscene considering Gudbranson isn鈥檛 very good at hockey. Of course he was a 3rd overall selection, so at least he still retains some pedigree (ie. trade value).
But I鈥檇 argue that a solid hit more than makes up for several misses, provided the price paid isn鈥檛 outrageous. Many of the 鈥渇ailed鈥� prospects Benning has nabbed, signed or traded for have increased in value. It is still costly to obtain these players, especially if they flop, but the wins can really pay off. Established, young, top-six forwards or top-four defencemen are crazy expensive to acquire or sign in free agency.
Sven Baertschi will likely be a fixture on Vancouver鈥檚 first (ish) line with Bo Horvat this season. doesn鈥檛 matter; he was undeniably worth that second round pick.
Fans (including myself) howled when Hunter Shinkaruk was shipped off for Markus Granlund. Yet last season Granlund posted 19 goals while Shinkaruk is still toiling in the AHL.
And if Derrick Pouliot actually does round into a top-four defender, he could be the most valuable acquisition of the bunch.
The successes of Baertschi and Granlund were partly due to Vancouver鈥檚 lack of depth. There was more room in the lineup than in Calgary, and Baertschi and Granlund were given plenty of time to work out the kinks. Barring injuries, it seems less likely Pouliot will be given as much leeway.
I鈥檓 not praising all of Benning鈥檚 moves. He values a lot of stuff that I don鈥檛. And when he really wants a player he . I also have concerns about acquiring fizzling blue chip prospects in general. Derrick Pouliot was a highly touted pick who was given a lot of opportunity. He鈥檚 a but at almost 24 he鈥檚 running out of time.
Today, the Canucks have better depth than they鈥檝e had in ages. They鈥檝e been more intentional about it. Finishing near the bottom of the league has added several blue chip players to the system. At long last it looks like Bend Sinister was right and .
Presumably, after a few more years of pitiable play 麻豆传媒映画will amass solid depth across position and age group. So will Jim Benning continue to take flyers on former high picks? Hey, as long as it works.
听
