Welcome Matt: One year after firing Benning, the Canucks are no better off
One year on, and it’s much of the same for the Vancouver Canucks. Reminds me of that lyric from The Who.
‘Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.’
The Canucks might be better off at the managerial level, but on-ice results, ownership, and direction remain a problem.
Today is the one-year anniversary of the #Canucks firing Benning
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) December 5, 2022
So one year after firing GM Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green, they’re not better off. In better hands perhaps, but not better off.
The honeymoon is officially over for president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin. As we mentioned last week, the joy has been sapped from normally-joyful head coach Bruce Boudreau, who awaits a pink slip knowing he won’t be back next year.
Throw in Thatcher Demko’s injury and Brock Boeser’s agent working on a trade, and the Canucks now have no choice.
It must be a tear-down and a rebuild, with perhaps only Demko, Quinn Hughes, and Elias Pettersson remaining.
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There should be some bitter pills coming because the truth is they’ve been coming for some time.
Continuously managing to expect the best and not account for the worst, has consequences.
Doubling down on player groups that have proven inadequate, has consequences.
Targeting the playoffs, not the Cup, is flawed vision. Time to scrap it and start anew.
I suspect we will see the trading of Luke Schenn and/or Bo Horvat between now and Demko’s return in six weeks or so.
I suspect Andrei Kuzmenko will follow if he doesn’t agree to an extension by the March 3 trade deadline.
If they can move Boeser they will, but that looks mostly cap dump with a $6.65 million salary shrinking his market.
All in all, the Canucks are the Titanic and have finally their iceberg.