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Jim Benning Talks Injuries, Contract Snafus and the Kids Playing for Lineup Spots
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Jeremy Davis
Mar 23, 2016, 18:47 EDTUpdated:
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Photo source: Canucks.nhl.com / Jeff Vinnick
Canucks GM Jim Benning joined Scott Rintoul and Iain McLetchie on TSN 1040 today to discuss the current woes and future direction of his hockey team. Predictably, he sounded as if someone just ran over his dog, what with the Canucks on a five game losing streak, and having just set a franchise record for consecutive minutes without a goal at 228.
Benning talked about some his two recent contract signings, including the snafu on Tryamkin’s entry level. He wasn’t overly tough in his assessment of his players, but he was very honest when prodded about the future of some of the younger guys. Training camp next year will be open season, and no one is safe – not even the teenagers.
Read on to find out what got sugar coated, and where he delivered the straight goods.
First things first, the interview began with an assessment of how things have been going lately, and how Benning thinks they’ve ended up in the positions they’re in.
“The toughest thing right now are all these injuries, [as of] a couple games ago, we’ve got nine players that are hurt that are important to our team, to winning. Not having Alex Edler, Chris Tanev and Luca Sbisa in the lineup hurts, Hansen being out, Vrbata being out, not having [Sutter] for most of the year, Dorsett, we don’t have the depth right now to overcome those sorts of injuries.”
It would be silly to deny that the wealth of injuries haven’t affected this team’s performance. They’re about middle of the league in terms of man-games lost, but right up near the top when the importance of missing players is incorporated. Obviously having Alex Edler and Chris Tanev in the spots occupied by Alex Biega and Matt Bartkowski would be largely beneficial to the performance of the team. Likewise, having Brandon Sutter and Jannik Hansen would be a huge boon defensively and on the penalty kill.
There are a couple of deeper issues though. One is that the Canucks weren’t even that strong of a team when they were all together. They may well have been better at preventing goals, but that hasn’t been their issue lately. A complete lineup would certainly make it easier to place everyone in their appropriate roles, and maybe they could have been closer to that second wild card spot. One thing is for certain though: this was never a 100-point team. Might as well take their lottery pick and move on.

On Effort and Pushback

Daniel Sedin generated a fair bit of attention on Saturday night when he tore into the young Canucks lineup for a lack of effort. It was a little out of character for the gentle Swede, but it certainly was warranted. This was one of the worries of the tank method from the start. The roster is full of players who seem to be becoming complacent with losing. It’s not just the teenagers, who haven’t learned any better yet, but guys like Vey and Etem as well, who should be playing for jobs next year, as their futures are far from certain.
Benning was asked about the effort level and pushback he’s seen from his team in this recent stretch:
“We’ve got a young lineup right now, and it’s hard to compete with a young lineup. I think for the most part our players are trying to compete hard, they’re trying to do everything that they can do to try and help with the team winning, it’s just not going our way right now. But I think for the most part I’ve been happy with the effort from the team. We just need to get some guys back and keep working and competing so we can start winning some games.”
One of the concerns that comes with the tank method is complacency and the acceptance of losing. The jury is still out on whether those factors remain with a player long term, but it’s pretty clear that they’re at least occurring in the present. It isn’t just the teenagers either (who haven’t learned any better yet), but guys like Linden Vey and Emerson Etem, who should be playing for jobs next season, as their futures are far from certain.
The hosts asked Benning if he was worried about the dreaded “losing culture” seeping into the locker room:
“Sure, that’s a worry, and it’s hard to be positive when you’re in that room everyday, things aren’t going good and you’re not scoring. We just have to try to be positive and continue to work hard. These next couple of games, we’re gonna start getting some injured players back. We got a stretch of games here that’s not going to be easy, and we’re playing against teams that are competing to win their division or for playoff spots, so it’s not going to be easy, but we need to compete and to work hard and to try to win games.”

On the Future of the Young Players

It’s become accepted at this point that the season is lost, and so all management has left to do is see what they have in their young players, with an eye to the future. An interesting point was brought up though: how simple is it to evaluate players trying to break into the league on a team that is struggling this mightily?
“Well it’s a good opportunity for us to see where these guys are at. I thought Brendan Gaunce had a strong game yesterday in Winnipeg. If you take one thing out of this, you can take that we’re evaluating these players on a game to game basis and seeing where they’re at, and where they need to get to to help us win in the future. Nikita Tryamkin has come in and it seems like every game he’s getting more and more confident and playing better, so we have to look at where we’re at right now with these kids in the lineup. They’re fighting for jobs for next year, so we’re evaluating them and seeing where they’re at.”
One of those players that needs to be evaluated is Emerson Etem, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Here’s Benning on what he’s seen from Etem so far:
“He brings us speed, he gets in on the forecheck and disrupt the play. When he gets the puck on his stick, it seems like he has strength to protect it and take the puck to the net. I know he’s had lots of scoring chances and he hasn’t finished those off, but I think there will be a spot on the team for him going forward because he does bring us some size, and some speed, and I think once he gets his confidence, the goals will start coming.”
It’s not upsetting to hear Benning give Etem a vote of confidence. He’s looked solid in most of the games he’s played with Vancouver. The knock on Etem when he came to the Canucks was that he created a lot of chances, but converted on very few of them. That’s held true so far in Etem’s brief tenure here. Whether he can begin to produce is tricky to answer at this point, but he could at least be a useful fourth line player going forward.
Benning’s assessment of Linden Vey, another pending restricted free agent, wasn’t quite as glowing. Asked whether Vey is playing for his career at this point, Benning had no problem with agreeing:
“Yeah, I think that’s a fair statement. Since we called him up, he’s had some real good games for us. He protects the puck and he makes good plays. He’s playing with more confidence this year, it looks like he’s skating better, and he’s stronger on the puck. But like I said, with all of our young players, we’re gonna have competition for jobs at camp next year, and they’re gonna have to come in and prove that they belong.”
There’s no doubt that the 2015-16 Linden Vey is an upgrade on the 2014-15 version, but the debate is still there about whether that improvement is large enough to warrant keeping him for another season. It would be hard to believe that Vey could be in this regime’s long term plans (he’s one of the few players that hasn’t been labeled “foundational” yet), but he could still be a useful bridge to that next core. He’s shown a strong defensive side to his game (usually), and could be particularly useful if the Canucks decide to start McCann in the minors next season. But would they do that? Keep reading…

On the Future of the Teenagers

When you think of young players fighting for spots, the instinct would be the RFAs (like Vey, Etem, Alex Grenier and Andrey Pedan), but it doesn’t stop there. Even though Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann just started the clocks on their Entry Level Contracts and they’ve spent their entire season in the NHL, it doesn’t mean their spots are guaranteed for next season.
Here’s Benning on whether Virtanen or McCann could start next season in Utica:
“Well that’s still a long ways away. We signed Anton Rodin yesterday, who’s going to come into camp and compete for a job. We’re hoping to have more depth next year at camp and there’s gonna be a competition for the jobs on the team, and Jake and Jared are going to be part of that group that are going to be competing for spots. I think that over the course of this year, they’ve grown a lot in their games, but they’re going to have to have good summers and come in next year and earn a spot for sure.”
This development is certainly a welcome one. Canucks fans and media alike hate the idea of “gifted roster spots”. Were Benning to come out and give the kids a vote of confidence that they were NHL players already, he’d certainly open himself up to further criticism. Keeping an open mind on where they’ll spend next season is a wise choice at this point.
In my opinion, Virtanen is fully ready to play in the NHL full time. He’s got a case of the doldrums right now (which, oddly, seemed to start when he was moved to the Sedin line, and hasn’t abated since he’s been taking off of it), but it wasn’t that long ago that he had a stretch where he seemed like the team’s best player on many nights. Virtanen still leads the team in Corsi percentage, and his defensive play has been strong all year. There are still some issues with his on-ice awareness, but I’ve always been of the mind that he’d be best suited to developing that in the NHL, a league that he’s shown he can score in and that his body is clearly able to handle.
Jared McCann on the other hand could absolutely use some seasoning in Utica. It’s clear that the kid has skill to burn, but it’s also clear that it’s been pounding oout of him (if only temporarily) by the daily grind of the NHL stretch drive, a situation that his body does not seem capable of handling. McCann looks over matched on most nights, and it’s becoming more and common for Willie Desjardins to move him to the wing, as he just doesn’t seem to be able to handle the position at this level at this time. Of course, he’s having as much or more trouble of the wing – I’ve gotta think that injuries are the only thing that keep him in the lineup every day at this point.
McCann could use a good summer and some extra time in the American league to build his strength and return to the NHL looking like the player he was back in October, when he scored five goals in his first nine games, rather than the rest of the season, in which he’s scored three times in 53 games.

On the Goaltending Situation

Jacob Markstrom may have looked like a seasoned veteran last night, but he’s still a young guy too. His development has been progressing as well, or better, than expected this season, so Benning was asked what the next step is for Markstrom going into next season.
“We’re fortunate that we have two real good goalies. Right now we’re alternating them, but I think this has been a good learning year for Jacob, and he’s played real good for us over the course of the year, and I think next year he’ll come in with more confidence and continue playing well for us. We wanna groom him to someday be our number one goalie, so I think he’s on the right path.”
Speaking of goaltending, the TSN 1040 hosts also prodded Benning about Rollie Melanson, who is apparently unlikely to return next year. Benning didn’t have much to say on the situation at this point, but it does seem like they’d prefer to keep him.
“We’re talking to Rollie right now, we really have nothing to update right now, but we’re talking to him, we’re gonna get that figured out.”

On The New Contracts

The big news this week was that the Canucks have brought Anton Rodin back into the fold, signing the former 2009 53rd overall pick to a one-year, one-way deal worth $950,000. This is a good move – Rodin just completed an MVP season in the Swedish Elite League, and will hopefully provide the Canucks with a bit of scoring depth next season.
“He’s [been back in Sweden] the last couple of years and he’s had two real good seasons, this year winning the MVP of the league. The games I’ve seen him play, he’s physically stronger than when he was here before, he’s got the mental toughness now to know what it takes to score, he’s got his confidence. I talked to him this morning, he’s excited about it, he thinks it’s the right time to come back and to prove to people that he’s an NHL player. I think with success he’s had for the last couple years, that’ll bode well for him coming into camp and making our team and proving that he’s a good NHL player.”
Word is that Benning would like Rodin to come in and play on the third line season, although that situation could be fluid: the Canucks probably only have two actual top six wingers (Daniel Sedin and Sven Baertschi), while Jannik Hansen and Jake Virtanen are also capable of holding jobs there if provided the right mix of linemates.
The Canucks have been accused this season (and last season) of having far too many third line players and no real second line. Hopefully Rodin can come in and at least create some competition, or provide some depth production. The team desperately needs it.
As for the other recent signing, Jason Botchford of the Province made public last night that the Canucks had a bit of a whoopsie-daisy when filing Tryamkin’s contract with the league. Evidently the Canucks tried to sign him for three years, when his birthdate mandated that a two-year entry deal was required instead.
Benning had no issue with copping to it, downplaying the seriousness of the mistake.
“Well these things aren’t uncommon, they happen all the time. When we were dealing with the agent, the agent thought it was a three-year deal, so when we checked we realized it was a two-year deal. So we filed the contract almost at the same time as we did the first one. This is what the league does, they check over it to make sure everything matches up with the CBA, and they just let us know, and by that time we already had the new contract in, so it’s not a big deal, it happens all the time. We’re happy that we have him and that he’s playing for our team.”
There are a couple of notes that I have here. First off, the CBA is bloody confusing. It’s not hard to believe that even NHL executives make mistakes when filing contract. This isn’t even as bad as the Tkachev incident in Edmonton, or the O’Reilly near-disaster in Calgary.
In fact, in an ironic twist, while pointing out the Canucks’ screw up, Botchford himself improperly interpreted the age rule:
The September 15th factor only applies when assessing the 18- and 19-year old seasons, otherwise a January 1st to December 31st calendar year is used instead.
This isn’t to admonish Botchford in any way – afterall, he’s a beat reporter filing a blog late at night following a game. It’s just to demonstrate how easy the CBA is to misunderstand.
That being said, the Canucks are an NHL organization. It’s just due diligence to understand the intricacies of these rules before filing contracts. Or at the very least, if you can’t figure it out yourself, hire someone that can. Hell, I knew about the contact length rules and age requirement rules ages ago, and I’m just a part time blogger with access to a legal document. I’ve already referenced these sections in other articles. If I can do it, surely they can find someone capable of understanding these little details. If not, hey, I’m available. Just saying.

On His Approach to the Draft

Benning had a radio appearance a couple of weeks ago in which he discussed his intent to draft a defenceman in the first round of the draft. Given that the Canucks are plummeting closer to 30th with each passing day, Benning was asked today if his strategy would change.
“Well no, we’re gonna get a real good player in the draft. We like the top end of this year’s draft. I was hoping that we were gonna be more competitive and compete for a playoff spot, even if we finished in the 14th to 16th spot and we made the playoffs, I thought we were gonna get a good player. But I’m confident that now, where we end up picking in the draft, we’re gonna get a real good player.”
It’s important to note that Benning already cleared up last week that he sees the separation between Matthews, Puljujarvi, Laine, and the rest of the pack, and that he’d take a forward if they were simply too good to pass up. So as the Canucks lottery odds continue to increase, there’s no need to worry about changing the strategy – each loss brings us closer to a franchise altering forward. The Canucks are just going to have to get a defenceman somewhere else.
That said, Benning is still keeping an eye on the top defensive prospects in this year’s draft (who I outlined in this article yesterday). There is always a chance that the Canucks stumble their way to a few more wins in the final ten games and finish in the 4-8 range, so might as well keep an eye on those defencemen.
“We’re gonna continue to follow these guys in the playoffs, cause we feel it’s important to see how they perform in the playoffs. We want defencemen that you can win with, and part of that is performing well in the playoffs. So we’re gonna keep watching the OHL defencemen, and the defencemen out west, and the players in the Quebec league, and all over the world. We’re confident that we know players right now, but we’re gonna keep watching them and just see if anything changes.”

On the Whole

Today’s interview didn’t contain any bombshells, nor did Benning perpetuate any delusions as to the current state of the roster. He certainly seems to realize where the Canucks are at this point. The question now is: is he capable of leading them out of this pit? That probably depends entirely on his ability to learn from his mistakes. He’s certainly made enough of them at this point to learn plenty. Only time will tell if he can turn this falling franchise around.
All quotes edited for “likes”, “y’knows”, and general grammatical oddities.

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