Trevor Linden held an impromptu media scrum on Wednesday, where he touched on a number of topics, such as the team’s current struggles and their potential plans for the trade deadline.
As per usual, Linden eschewed explicitness, requiring a good deal of reading between the lines, but he did give a few clear answers. For instance, despite the Canucks’ goaltending struggles, Thatcher Demko won’t be called up from the AHL anytime soon. Brandon Sutter has a “complex injury in that groin/hip area” but could return on the road trip. And their eyes will be “firmly focused on the future” at the trade deadline.
There was one answer, however, that got stuck in my craw and has been bothering me ever since.
When asked about an extension for general manager Jim Benning, Linden equivocated, suggesting that the focus needs to be on the season at hand and the direction of the team. But within his equivocation, there was the hint of an old excuse.
“He came into a challenging situation and I think we’re trending in the right direction,” said Linden. “I like the job Jim’s done. But beyond that, I think we’re focussed on the next couple of months and the deadline, and then finishing and having a good season.”
Is that first part that got my attention: “He came into a challenging situation.” It’s a reference, obviously, to where Benning’s tenure began and to what the previous regime left them with. Here’s the problem: that was nearly four years ago.
It’s true that Jim Benning faced a challenging situation when he took the job as Canucks’ GM, but that is true of any GM in the NHL. It’s a difficult, challenging job. The challenges just look a little different for every team.
It’s also true that for every challenge faced by Jim Benning when he took over from Mike Gillis, there was also an opportunity. The prospect pool was shallow, but it did feature Bo Horvat, who has quickly become the most important player on the team. Benning also had a top-10 draft pick to work with, as well as several veteran free agents that could be traded for future assets.
But all of that is a moot point. It’s been more than three years since Benning started as GM of the Canucks and the team is now substantially his creation.
The only no-trade clauses that remain from before he arrived are owned by the Sedins and Alex Edler, and those are not hurting the team at this time. The other no-trade clauses were handed out by Benning himself, to Chris Tanev, Brandon Sutter, and Loui Eriksson.
The Sedins, Edler, Tanev, Horvat, Gaunce, Ben Hutton, and Jacob Markstrom are the lone remaining Canucks from the Gillis era and all but Edler and the Sedins were re-signed by Benning. This is his team, for good or ill.
This is not a judgement on Benning, mind you. This isn’t an argument for whether Benning has done a good or bad job. All I’m saying is that it’s time to stop talking about the challenges he faced to start his tenure as GM, and to take ownership of the current state of the franchise and move forward.
