The Great Jim Benning Debate! (And personal insult thread)

[Chef Boi RD]

Btw if memory serves, RG wanted Glass instead of Pettersson, Bouchard instead of Hughes and Boldy instead of Podkolzin

You of all people shouldn’t be bumping your gums about who anyone else wanted to draft.

You wanted Vilardi and Bouchard snd Krebs instead of Podkolzin

[Blob Mckenzie]

Btw if memory serves, RG wanted Glass instead of Pettersson, Bouchard instead of Hughes and Boldy instead of Podkolzin

You of all people shouldn’t be bumping your gums about who anyone else wanted to draft.

You wanted Vilardi and Bouchard snd Krebs instead of Podkolzin

You also wanted Vilardi. Can you admit it?

I wasn’t sold on Krebs. I was concerned about his injury. Why do you lie so often?

[Blob Mckenzie]

On the morning of the 2017 draft the Chef wanted Vancouver to pick Vilardi or Glass.

[Chef Boi RD]

It doesn’t matter what we wanted as long as the Genius got it right in which he did. I just need the likes of Ronnings Ghost ti come clean and realize they are spend their life’s work trying to run Jimbro out of town yet Jimbro picked Pettersson, Hughes, Podkolzin and Hoglander when clearly as seen in the archives they wanted others players. It astounds the Chef that they are angry mad at the man who picked the players they didn’t want, players that are clearly better and more importantly Generational!

Ronnings Ghost what says you?


I bet Cliffy responds with “bottom 6 contracts”

[Blob Mckenzie]

Hey if it doesn’t matter who we all wanted what is the point in constantly bringing up who I wanted? You do realize there’s a search function and that people can easily see who you wanted, right. You were every bit as bullish on Dobson, Glass and Vilardi. You called Hughes a shrimp and a dwarf, Petterson a toothpick etc. There’s a comment from Doc in the draft thread right before the draft saying he’d “go to the dark side” if they drafted Petey. He was on literally nobody’s radar here. Yet apparently only I didn’t want him.

You’re right though Elmer made the correct picks and those two picks are why he still has his job and those two picks have greatly accelerated the rebuild and transformed this team into must watch tv.

RG seems bitter. I don’t think he’s as bitter as the folks at Mongoloid Island but he isn’t a happy man, that’s for sure.

[Chef Boi RD]

Hey if it doesn’t matter who we all wanted what is the point in constantly bringing up who I wanted? You do realize there’s a search function and that people can easily see who you wanted, right. You were every bit as bullish on Dobson, Glass and Vilardi. You called Hughes a shrimp and a dwarf, Petterson a toothpick etc. There’s a comment from Doc in the draft thread right before the draft saying he’d “go to the dark side” if they drafted Petey. He was on literally nobody’s radar here. Yet apparently only I didn’t want him.

You’re right though Elmer made the correct picks and those two picks are why he still has his job and those two picks have greatly accelerated the rebuild and transformed this team into must watch tv.

RG seems bitter. I don’t think he’s as bitter as the folks at Mongoloid Island but he isn’t a happy man, that’s for sure.

But that’s my point, Benning gets roasted constantly by mad hatter fans like RG, nut-jobs who wanted far worse players than what Benning ended up picking. MS wanted Vilardi and still Auto this day criticizes Quinn Hughes. So the dingbats argument now has switched gears to - “Benning had nothing to do with those picks!” Unfuckingbelievable

RG is bitter because Benning’s great work has just confirmed that the element of crazy emotional Vancouver Canuck fan base Brian Burke so eloquently spoke of do exist, say hello to - RG, MS, Bleach Clean, Peter10, Y2K, 50 Sheas, Jack Burton

[Hockey Widow]

I don't remember anyone being thrilled, or even mildly happy, that Benning drafted Pettersson. I think we can all admit that.

I don't remember very many people being happy Benning drafted Hughes. There were some enlightened among us who were thrilled but most were underwhelmed.

I remember a lot of mixed reactions to drafting Pod, mostly because he was Russian and committed to two more years in Russia.

I don't remember anyone thrilled he traded a first for Miller. Oh for sure some tried to rationalize it but most were shocked.

I think most people had favourites they wanted Benning to draft. So what. Thats what makes our draft fun is we all get to have opinions.

I do think everyone, well almost everyone, is happy we drafted Pettersson, Hughes, Pod and traded that first for Miller. Seems to me we are all on the same page with those moves so who cares who wanted who, when and why back whenever.

[Blob Mckenzie]

I don't remember anyone being thrilled, or even mildly happy, that Benning drafted Pettersson. I think we can all admit that.

I don't remember very many people being happy Benning drafted Hughes. There were some enlightened among us who were thrilled but most were underwhelmed.

I remember a lot of mixed reactions to drafting Pod, mostly because he was Russian and committed to two more years in Russia.

I don't remember anyone thrilled he traded a first for Miller. Oh for sure some tried to rationalize it but most were shocked.

I think most people had favourites they wanted Benning to draft. So what. Thats what makes our draft fun is we all get to have opinions.

I do think everyone, well almost everyone, is happy we drafted Pettersson, Hughes, Pod and traded that first for Miller. Seems to me we are all on the same page with those moves so who cares who wanted who, when and why back whenever.

Wids drops the microphone and moon walks off the stage

[Zedlee]

Benning gets a passing grade on his draft record.

On asset management and contract negotiations he gets a fail from me. Too many draft picks traded away, too many expensive fringe players.

For the canucks to get to "contender" status we need Benning to excel now at asset management. He will need skill and guts to get out of bad contracts and avoid signing any new bad contracts. Demko vs Markstrom - a hard decision. Tough decisions coming now on Tanev, Stecher, Virtanen and Toffoli. Will he keep the right guys at the right price? The legacy of Jim Benning will be written now in how he manages this group.

[Chef Boi RD]

The team likes Stecher, I think he stays. Motte is an RFA he is a must sign and the only bright spot in the bottom 6. You need his speed and forecheck. Virtanen stays cause I think he will sign cheap and is still young and learning. Toffoli I’m not so sure about now all depends on Marky. Tanev is a must, you need solid veterans and he’s that

[Carl Yagro]

With the benefit of hindsight, some of us will happily change our tune.

While others will continue to ignore facts, stamp their feet, throw tantrums and piss & shit everywhere.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Benning gets a passing grade on his draft record.

On asset management and contract negotiations he gets a fail from me. Too many draft picks traded away, too many expensive fringe players.

For the canucks to get to "contender" status we need Benning to excel now at asset management. He will need skill and guts to get out of bad contracts and avoid signing any new bad contracts. Demko vs Markstrom - a hard decision. Tough decisions coming now on Tanev, Stecher, Virtanen and Toffoli. Will he keep the right guys at the right price? The legacy of Jim Benning will be written now in how he manages this group.

Agree with everything here except the first line, a "passing grade"? C'mon man we won two draft lotteries without winning a draft lottery. In a couple years a third if not half of the roster could well be made up of draftees. That is barring more trades like the Tofolli deal, which should be noted good drafting paved the way for such a deal to happen. Nothing like this has ever happened here before where a good team was built through excellent drafting.

The Virtanen and Joulevi hiccups keeps me from declaring the past half decade as one of the best in NHL history (as far as first rounds go anyway) but it's still gotta be right up there. With the hiccups I'm dropping my grade from an A+ but still gets a solid A thanks alone to Petey & Hughes (and hon mention to Boeser). And because I put so much stock in drafting, especially for a rebuilding team, I give Benning an overall grade of B despite the glaring blunders we're still having to live with, but that's just me.

[Nuckertuzzi]

For the record I was never one to get too involved in picking favorites before the draft and/or criticizing picks after. Except perhaps the Joulevi pick only because at the time everything leading up to that draft had a clear consensus of a top 5 tier that most lists didn't have Joulevi on, so to me it reeked of drafting for position which is a cardinal sin when picking so high. I felt we needed to dumb it down and stick with the consensus, which other than the Oilers' pick was pretty accurate.
Nevertheless I think getting worked up for players most of us know very little about may be fun for debate but is really an exercise in futility.

[Topper]

Retooling by the GENIUS will continue.

[Chef Boi RD]

For the record I was never one to get too involved in picking favorites before the draft and/or criticizing picks after. Except perhaps the Joulevi pick only because at the time everything leading up to that draft had a clear consensus of a top 5 tier that most lists didn't have Joulevi on, so to me it reeked of drafting for position which is a cardinal sin when picking so high. I felt we needed to dumb it down and stick with the consensus, which other than the Oilers' pick was pretty accurate.
Nevertheless I think getting worked up for players most of us know very little about may be fun for debate but is really an exercise in futility.

Juolevi was getting consistent top 6 rankings leading up to the draft, it wasn’t a reach at all, in fact a lot of people were ok with the pick. Leading up to the draft everyone kept saying the Canucks need to draft a Defenceman. The last time they did so was Luc Bourdon. It’s hard to find defencemen in the draft. The Canucks drafted 3 wingers in the previous 3 first rounds - Shinkaruk, Virtanen and Boeser. They were deep with wingers in the pipeline but not Defenceman. Was it the best choice? No. Obviously. But that’s the nature of the draft when drafting 18 year olds. It won’t be the last time where the choice made wasn’t the best choice. Benning has done remarkably well since that draft with his choices, but because of the good run I’m assuming we are bound for a dud soon.