So what would you have done differently that FA would accept? Let's be clear here, JB and TL were not hired to tear the team down and build it from the ground up. TL/JB's mandate was to stay competitive while the Sedins were still here while rebuilding the prospect base that was decimated by Gillis trying to win the Cup in 2011.

Here's my point, /IF/ we had won the 1OA either last year or the year before, would you still be crying about the 'process'? Because honestly, that's really the only thing that this team still lacks, a superstar to replace the Sedins which Matthews or Hischler would have been. All other moves made by Benning were solely to bring in complimentary mid-6/4-7D and b!tching about it is pointless.

Thanks everyone.
- DariusKnight

I obviously have an issue with the entire thought process of trying to rebuild a team on the fly that had a pathetic prospect pool. If the team already had a decent pool or another Bo Horvat caliber or 2 young roster players then it'd make sense to assume you can realistically turn the team around without a real rebuild.

I don't know who's to blame for that direction because I'm not sitting in on the meetings between Aqua/JB/TL, but it was a stupid choice.

Hiring a first time president, first time GM and first time coach to execute such a difficult plan doesn't sound smart to me.

The team has tanked twice anyway since they've taken over so they haven't really been all that competitive.

And secondly, I think Benning could have done a better job of trying to execute that direction. There's just a lot of moves/signings that didn't make sense to me. I don't want to rehash old arguments, regulars here all know where everyone stands on moves that have been made and for what reasons. Also don't like how Virtanen and McCann played so many games when they were clearly overwhelmed at the NHL level.

It's just my opinion, but I don't like the original direction or the execution. It's not just about the lottery for me. I think Chiarelli is overrated as well, he got bailed out by McJesus. If I was an Oilers fan I wouldn't be a big fan of his despite winning the lottery. Lucic and Russell are bad contracts and he's falling into the trap of overvaluing role players and guys who have had "chemistry" with McJesus. Likewise, I'd be happy if the Canucks were in the Leafs position, I was a fan of how they rebuilt.

And yes I know trading Edler and the Sedins right away is unrealistic. I just preferred the sign and flip strategy from day 1 and would have preferred if Benning kept his picks/prospects instead of that stupid age gap thing. Having cap space to take on bad contracts is also valuable for rebuilding teams.

Thanks DariusKnight

I obviously have an issue with the entire thought process of trying to rebuild a team on the fly that had a pathetic prospect pool. If the team already had a decent pool or another Bo Horvat caliber or 2 young roster players then it'd make sense to assume you can realistically turn the team around without a real rebuild.

I don't know who's to blame for that direction because I'm not sitting in on the meetings between Aqua/JB/TL, but it was a stupid choice.

Hiring a first time president, first time GM and first time coach to execute such a difficult plan doesn't sound smart to me.

The team has tanked twice anyway since they've taken over so they haven't really been all that competitive.

And secondly, I think Benning could have done a better job of trying to execute that direction. There's just a lot of moves/signings that didn't make sense to me. I don't want to rehash old arguments, regulars here all know where everyone stands on moves that have been made and for what reasons.

It's just my opinion, but I don't like the original direction or the execution. It's not just about the lottery for me. I think Chiarelli is overrated as well, he got bailed out by McJesus. If I was an Oilers fan I wouldn't be a big fan of his despite winning the lottery. Lucic and Russell are bad contracts and he's falling into the trap of overvaluing role players and guys who have had "chemistry" with McJesus. Likewise, I'd be happy if the Canucks were in the Leafs position, I was a fan of how they rebuilt.

And yes I know trading Edler and the Sedins right away is unrealistic. I just preferred the sign and flip strategy from day 1 and would have preferred if Benning kept his picks/prospects instead of that stupid age gap thing. Having cap space to take on bad contracts is also valuable for rebuilding teams.

Thanks DariusKnight
- Nucker101

leaves 40 year rebuild seriously though the canucks didn't have much to dump with NTC gillis handed out, the sedins and edler wont move and there the only ones left so we ride them out, JB TL have made mistakes sure but patience is needed and nuck fan base don't have it.

How long before mcdavid wants out of deadmonton, hes looking miserable lately. The d is ahl caliber and there cash strapped for years, no depth in any position, stuck with the slug lucic, on and on, every team has there issues but there screwed after this year.
- Bettmanhatesus

come on man, this is total garbage and complete nonsense. They had a 100+ point season and are having a rough start this year, suddenly McDavid wants out of Edmonton? (frank) me....every great player drafted near first overall had to endure some rough years before they got better.

I obviously have an issue with the entire thought process of trying to rebuild a team on the fly that had a pathetic prospect pool. If the team already had a decent pool or another Bo Horvat caliber or 2 young roster players then it'd make sense to assume you can realistically turn the team around without a real rebuild.

I don't know who's to blame for that direction because I'm not sitting in on the meetings between Aqua/JB/TL, but it was a stupid choice.

Hiring a first time president, first time GM and first time coach to execute such a difficult plan doesn't sound smart to me.

The team has tanked twice anyway since they've taken over so they haven't really been all that competitive.

And secondly, I think Benning could have done a better job of trying to execute that direction. There's just a lot of moves/signings that didn't make sense to me. I don't want to rehash old arguments, regulars here all know where everyone stands on moves that have been made and for what reasons. Also don't like how Virtanen and McCann played so many games when they were clearly overwhelmed at the NHL level.

It's just my opinion, but I don't like the original direction or the execution. It's not just about the lottery for me. I think Chiarelli is overrated as well, he got bailed out by McJesus. If I was an Oilers fan I wouldn't be a big fan of his despite winning the lottery. Lucic and Russell are bad contracts and he's falling into the trap of overvaluing role players and guys who have had "chemistry" with McJesus. Likewise, I'd be happy if the Canucks were in the Leafs position, I was a fan of how they rebuilt.

And yes I know trading Edler and the Sedins right away is unrealistic. I just preferred the sign and flip strategy from day 1 and would have preferred if Benning kept his picks/prospects instead of that stupid age gap thing. Having cap space to take on bad contracts is also valuable for rebuilding teams.

Thanks DariusKnight
- Nucker101

leaves 40 year rebuild seriously though the canucks didn't have much to dump with NTC gillis handed out, the sedins and edler wont move and there the only ones left so we ride them out, JB TL have made mistakes sure but patience is needed and nuck fan base don't have it.
- Bettmanhatesus

I'd argue that people who wanted more of a rebuild than a retool actually have more patience.....


thanks bettmanhatesus

Watching the Buf/Anh game. I noticed Kane is wearing an 'A' for Buffalo. Maybe he has grown up since his party days?

I obviously have an issue with the entire thought process of trying to rebuild a team on the fly that had a pathetic prospect pool. If the team already had a decent pool or another Bo Horvat caliber or 2 young roster players then it'd make sense to assume you can realistically turn the team around without a real rebuild.

I don't know who's to blame for that direction because I'm not sitting in on the meetings between Aqua/JB/TL, but it was a stupid choice.

Hiring a first time president, first time GM and first time coach to execute such a difficult plan doesn't sound smart to me.

The team has tanked twice anyway since they've taken over so they haven't really been all that competitive.

And secondly, I think Benning could have done a better job of trying to execute that direction. There's just a lot of moves/signings that didn't make sense to me. I don't want to rehash old arguments, regulars here all know where everyone stands on moves that have been made and for what reasons. Also don't like how Virtanen and McCann played so many games when they were clearly overwhelmed at the NHL level.

It's just my opinion, but I don't like the original direction or the execution. It's not just about the lottery for me. I think Chiarelli is overrated as well, he got bailed out by McJesus. If I was an Oilers fan I wouldn't be a big fan of his despite winning the lottery. Lucic and Russell are bad contracts and he's falling into the trap of overvaluing role players and guys who have had "chemistry" with McJesus. Likewise, I'd be happy if the Canucks were in the Leafs position, I was a fan of how they rebuilt.

And yes I know trading Edler and the Sedins right away is unrealistic. I just preferred the sign and flip strategy from day 1 and would have preferred if Benning kept his picks/prospects instead of that stupid age gap thing. Having cap space to take on bad contracts is also valuable for rebuilding teams.

Thanks DariusKnight
- Nucker101

Ok, all fair points, I still say a Leaf-style rebuild would have been a non-starter to FA because Vancouver isn't Toronto where the team would have been able to weather fans checking out since the wait list for seasons tickets for the Leafs is decades long.

Thank you Nucker101

Ok, all fair points, I still say a Leaf-style rebuild would have been a non-starter to FA because Vancouver isn't Toronto where the team would have been able to weather fans checking out since the wait list for seasons tickets for the Leafs is decades long.

Thank you Nucker101
- DariusKnight

Whitecaps have been bad for years and the fans still showed up. People stop going to Lions games because it is a crap product. High ticket prices and a bad product have hurt the Canucks .

i honestly dont want jb fired. i think his plan is coming along. him and TL are actually weathering the storm (barely) which i think is essential for a GM in this market.

unless someone comes in with a complete teardown mandate (will FA even entertain that?) then they're just going to shake things up for the sake of it and likely put us back even further.

yeah he's made mistakes, but i don't think they've been nuclear. could have done way worse poop like trading bo or tanev.
- BobBot

I also feel this way, not one management group doesn't make mistakes and ours have been nowhere near as onerous as ones made in other cities that have been in our predicament.

Ok, all fair points, I still say a Leaf-style rebuild would have been a non-starter to FA because Vancouver isn't Toronto where the team would have been able to weather fans checking out since the wait list for seasons tickets for the Leafs is decades long.

Thank you Nucker101
- DariusKnight

Fair point. My one last counter point would be to say that this fanbase's interest/sales are declining anyway.

Thank you DariusKnight for the good discussion

Whitecaps have been bad for years and the fans still showed up. People stop going to Lions games because it is a crap product. High ticket prices and a bad product have hurt the Canucks .
- VANTEL

Didn't they fix that with new hot dogs and free beer?

Didn't they fix that with new hot dogs and free beer?
- A_SteamingLombardi

Whitecaps have been bad for years and the fans still showed up. People stop going to Lions games because it is a crap product. High ticket prices and a bad product have hurt the Canucks .
- VANTEL

I'd argue the Whitecaps were the new kid on the block and soccer is a universal game with universal appeal so naturally it would be supported by people who might not necessarily be NA mainstream sports fans like hockey/football fans. It's not a great comparison, but yes, high ticket prices/losing product does impact the turnstiles.

Watching the Buf/Anh game. I noticed Kane is wearing an 'A' for Buffalo. Maybe he has grown up since his party days?
- Retinalz

Perfect, he will be mature when he signs with Van next year

I'd argue the Whitecaps were the new kid on the block and soccer is a universal game with universal appeal so naturally it would be supported by people who might not necessarily be NA mainstream sports fans like hockey/football fans. It's not a great comparison, but yes, high ticket prices/losing product does impact the turnstiles.
- DariusKnight

It's not the losing, it's not accepting that the team needs to be rebuilt, the rebuild should have started May 8/13, the day after being swept by SJ, not Feb. 18/17

It's not the losing, it's not accepting that the team needs to be rebuilt, the rebuild should have started May 8/13, the day after being swept by SJ, not Feb. 18/17
- A_SteamingLombardi

I don't know when people are going to realize it's not the losing that has the most impact, it's the lack of direction, mixed messages, poor contracts, poor drafting, no apparent plan other than to try and put a competitive team on the ice and excite the fans all the while failing miserably.

They need to be fired and someone can take over to work with the good he's done but do a better job at building.

I don't know when people are going to realize it's not the losing that has the most impact, it's the lack of direction, mixed messages, poor contracts, poor drafting, no apparent plan other than to try and put a competitive team on the ice and excite the fans all the while failing miserably.

They need to be fired and someone can take over to work with the good he's done but do a better job at building.
- LeftCoaster

I wounder if Aquilini runs his other businesses like this?

I don't know when people are going to realize it's not the losing that has the most impact, it's the lack of direction, mixed messages, no apparent plan other than to try and put a competitive team on the ice and excite the fans all the while failing miserably.

They need to be fired and someone can take over to work with the good he's done but do a better job at building.
- LeftCoaster

I agree JB needs to no longer be our GM, and TL our Pres. I think JB would be good as an AGM in charge of scouts etc. I don't think now is the time to change things in the middle of a season. Make changes after the season is over. Start by getting a new Pres first, then go from there. JB may have had some bad picks, but so far he seems better at it than Gillis.

I don't think anyone here thinks Baertschi is a 1st line forward. However, outside of Granlund we don't have anyone better for the job.
- Retinalz

Granny is our Swiss army knife type

He stopped playing against AHL talent and started playing vs NHL talent.
- Retinalz

Thats the huge leap many players cannot take. TG did it in his day. Carbonneau made it an art form. Many others did over the decades as well.
JV is a good example & why it's break him down & rebuild him back up.
Some players can never get it. Goldy needs to listen up & do it more yet.

I agree JB needs to no longer be our GM, and TL our Pres. I think JB would be good as an AGM in charge of scouts etc. I don't think now is the time to change things in the middle of a season. Make changes after the season is over. Start by getting a new Pres first, then go from there. JB may have had some bad picks, but so far he seems better at it than Gillis.
- Retinalz

I believe both Linden and Benning signed four year contracts, so this is their last year, I'm not sure whether or not they'll be re-signed, but IMO they damn sure shouldn't be.

The TDL wasn't this glowing success everyone proclaims it to be until someones able to produce at the NHL level. I think he should be fired before then so someone else can make some deadline deals that might actually help the club.

I'm a good hater of Jim Benning and his stupidity

The more I see this team the more I think keep the kids down this year . Why ruin their confidence with this teams style?

Bring them in next year when their should be major changes
- VANTEL

Thats very prudent & why all the vet ufa signings happened in my mind.

Even had we somehow lucked out and won the lottery, we're missing many complimentary pieces because we've been trying to take shortcuts.

Why should fans sit on their hands and not criticize the lack of clear direction the team has shown us?


I've heard suggestions that we're bad fans for not paying hundreds of dollars to go to games and watch the crappy product.

Bullpoop. If and artist puts out 3 bad albums in a row are you compelled to listen to the next one?

Don is fond of saying the team owes us nothing, however we owe it nothing in return.

Breaking News : We already suck .
- VANTEL

Tyvm. My snail mail got lost😂👍

I wounder if Aquilini runs his other businesses like this?
- A_SteamingLombardi

FA: "We could throw out this expired cheesecake, but then customers will be pissed that we ran out of it today"

Employee: "But then won't they get disgusted by it and never come back again?"

FA: "Listen, we're a bakery, and we need cheesecake to make some $$ today. Just put some extra icing or cream on it and hope they won't notice"




Thanks ASL!