Is it Elmer who has finally embraced it, or is it Aquaman?Blob Mckenzie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:46 pm Benning is the current GM. He should be talked about. The Benning brigade has his back like a pack of wolves.
Eye Bags got the boot five years ago. When does it stop being his fault that the team is a joke?
I see the situation somewhere in the middle. To me Elmer has been not too shabby since Early 2017. Before that he deserved the heat he got for some of the boneheaded trades and signings. Sure he fucked up with Gagner and Gudbranson- horrid signings. But for the most part he seems to be finally embracing the rebuild the whole city has been screaming for since 2013
I think we all knew when Gillis was shown the door that any incoming GM was going to be hamstrung by a few of Gillis moves as well as by the organization's commitment and loyalty to Hank and Danny, who Gillis had extended for 4 years the previous November.
While Linden was here as President there was a mindset that they needed to give the Twins every opportunity to compete for a Cup until said players themselves saw the writing on the wall and were willing to hand over the reigns. The fact that MG's drafting and cupboard stocking skills are among the worst in the league didn't help anyone. This put Benning in the uncomfortable position of having to delay a rebuild that he, and everyone else, knew needed to happen. Combine that with a few NTC holders who weren't going to make life easy for Jim (see Kesler and Garrison), and also the fact that Benning was a rookie GM, and you have a recipe for some questionable trades and signings. But when you consider that Benning had to come in and find a way to restock a nearly empty pantry, operate under a mandate that competing for the playoffs is the only acceptable product, and that the future of the team is also paramount, I'd say he has done a good job.
The Kesler trade is a wash and need not be discussed, Benning had no other options. He ended up with McCann and Sbisa which turned into Gudbranson. Considering what Kesler has done for Anaheim, it hasn't looked all that bad.
The trade for Gudbranson was not that bad. McCann was looking like Hodgson Part Deux and our back end was as soft as any in the league. Gudbranson was coming off of a good season in Florida, and he is a tough-as-nails blueliner who likes the old school game. His injuries didn't help anyone, including himself, but they did lead to a player of his age being open to a shorter term contract. $4M for Gudbranson on 3 years is a bit steep for what he brings, but he's an upgrade on Sbisa in at least he can bring a physical game and plays with a fire in his belly. When paired with a legit #3 partner, Gudbranson is a very serviceable stay home #4 guy. He is ideally a bottom pairing guy who eats PK minutes on the second unit and can step up into the top-4 in a limited capacity regardless of partner. Right now he is probably overpaid by $1M per. But that's not the end of the world considering it's only for 3 seasons and the cap is climbing.
The trade for Sutter was pretty meh. We paid a bit more than we should have, but not much. It looks Horrid because Bonino ended up playing with Kessel and Hagelin in the playoffs and they were lights out on the way to a Cup. The following year Bones wasn't quite as good but still hoisted the grail, he then got a massive overpayment from Nashville who are probably regretting the fact that they were suckered by artificial production that really came from Bone's linemates. Note that the Pens were in no rush to give him that contract. The contract Benning gave Sutter was the stuff that makes a person want to put an impact driver to their temple. Sutter is almost a complete waste of ice time, and his numbers in Vancouver have made him almost untradeable when his NTC opens up to 15 teams.
Beagle was a good signing, but I feel like he is just another Sutter, and his price tag is about $1M too high, but having the shiniest ring in the league drives that price up, and the fact that the Caps were not happy to see him go makes it palatable. I'm optimistic that Benning struck while the iron was hot and Beagle was available in hopes of securing him here so he could move Sutter out this coming summer.
Roussel is a question mark for me. So far he's overpaid and doesn't really add much to the team.
Schaller was a terrible signing, he will hopefully either be traded (somehow) or spend all of next season in the AHL.
But overall the future is bright in Vancouver because of the work that Benning has done.
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