Jannik Hansen and Tom Sestito both think the Canucks need to part ways with Jim Benning

If you surveyed a group of people who have been watching what’s going on with the Vancouver Canucks this season, they’d likely all have similar thoughts about the Canucks’ need for change.

Whether that be a coaching change, a management change — or both — it’s pretty widely agreed upon that change is needed.

But yesterday, two former Canucks players added themselves to the list of people who think starting with a management change is most needed.

In an appearance on Donnie and Dhali – The Team, former Canucks forward Jannik Hansen shared his thoughts on what needs to happen for the organization to turn things around.

“I think change is needed,” said Hansen. “And again, I think you need it at the top now and then filter through from there. There’s a lot of holes right now — you can pick apart Jim, you can pick apart Travis, you can pick apart the players — and that’s where you’re looking for a quick fix and hoping ‘okay, maybe a coaching change will change this, but I don’t know, I think you need a fresh set of eyes right from the top and a new approach, philosophy — call it whatever you will.”

“Again, it’s been too long of this now. Not even mediocre I would say. You’re not quite bad enough that you’re getting those 1, 2, 3 top draft picks, and you’re not good enough to finish in the last playoff spot. So it’s got to be either or — either you commit to a full blow up which is tough to say when we feel like we’ve been through this for the last six years now. But again, it doesn’t look very comforting right now. If they were playing like they did in Boston, like they did in Columbus, throughout the year, I could say ‘okay, they’ve been in every single game and they deserve to win here and there,’ but these are the odd games where they’ve actually looked like they’re competing and they’re in games. It’s too far and few between.”

As for Tom Sestito, his simple tweet yesterday would suggest he’s felt Benning should’ve been gone quite some time ago, and is genuinely perplexed at how Benning has lasted this long:

Hansen spent almost his entire career with the Canucks, and was an important piece to the 2011 team before he was traded at the 2017 trade deadline to the San Jose Sharks before retiring after the 2019-20 season.

Sestito, on the other hand, was an enforcer for the Canucks and was sent down by the club in 2015. He played just 17 games in the NHL after that, and spent his final season with the Toronto Marlies in 2018-19.