Johnston: Jim Benning can ‘Expect a Penalty’ for Tampering

Much has been made of Jim Benning’s comments this week. Particularly the ones he made on TSN 1040AM radio regarding P.K. Subban and Steven Stamkos.

Though 29 other teams in the NHL have interest in the two star players, Benning is the only one to this point to mention them specifically by name and that’s landed him in a bit of hot water. And while you can appreciate Benning’s candour on this topic from a fan’s perspective, much of what he said falls under the distinction of tampering. 

Unsurprisingly, it appears as though the league tends to agree with that assessment of the situation. Yesterday we learned that Benning was under investigation by the league for tampering. We’ve learned today, courtesy a Chris Johnston report, that the Canucks will be getting fined. The only question left is how much.

This is a tough one for the Canucks to take on the chin, for sure. It was very clear based on Montreal Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin’s comments yesterday that they were not thrilled, saying specifically that Benning “crossed the line” — though, admittedly, Bergevin followed that up by saying he didn’t know where it was crossed. 

We’ll provide more updates as they become available to us.