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Vancouver Canucks: Benning Speaks on Kesler, Goalies, Trading Up at Draft |
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It's a quieter day in Philadelphia today, as the general managers were tied up for a long stretch with the Board of Governors meetings.
But, Jim Benning did speak to the media, and TEAM1040 picked up the audio.
The entire piece is available here, if you'd care to listen. He touches on all the issues that inquiring minds want to know, and is pretty candid.
Adding a dose of reality to all the rumours floating around, here's what we learned today:
- Kesler - "We've sat down and talked to Ryan. We're talking to teams but at the end of the day we're going to do what makes sense for us and to help out Ryan. If we don't think we can get a fair deal for Ryan, we're gonna keep him and he's a Vancouver Canuck and we're happy to have him back. He's a great player."
Benning goes on to say that Kesler's no-trade clause is making things more difficult, because you don't get to deal with a lot of teams, but remains adamant that they'll only make a deal that works for both Kesler and the Canucks. He also mentions that he thinks a player like Kesler can draw maximum value at the trade deadline from teams that believe they're just one piece away.
That sounds like the offers on the table now might be less than what was offered at the deadline; certainly not enough yet for a slam dunk.
Also, "If we're gonna go down that path, we want to try to get NHL caliber players back." The plan certainly appears to be to ice a competitive squad next year that has a chance to make the playoffs. You won't see Kesler get moved solely for picks and prospects.
Mentions that even if Kesler's not traded this weekend, it doesn't mean a deal can't still happen over the summer. Points out that Boston made the Tyler Seguin deal on July 4 last year.
(As an aside, Patrick Sharp's agent made an emphatic statement yesterday that his client is not on the trade block in Chicago. Fine by me.)
- Draft - Benning says they're continuing to have conversations about moving up in tomorrow's draft. "We'll keep inquiring to see what it takes to move up, if we've got the assets to do so."
Benning also says that he's confident that the Canucks can get a real good player with the sixth pick. He's not interested in moving down.
He's non-committal when it comes to trying to predict who the teams ahead of the Canucks might target. Either there's no mock draft on the table in Vancouver's war room or he's playing that very close to the vest.
One reporter points out that while Boston has built successful teams over the years around franchise defensemen like Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque and Zdeno Chara, Vancouver has never had an equivalent player. Benning talks about how Aaron Ekblad has the potential to be that kind of player though he's very different from a past No. 2 pick, Drew Doughty.
Benning says Alex Edler can play that role for Vancouver: "I don't know what happened to him last year but we need to recapture him and get him back to where he can be a dominant player on the back end for us again. He's real smart, he's physically strong, he can shoot the puck. He gets his shots through on the blue line onto the net. He's got the capability to play minutes and be a point producer too."
- Free Agent Goalies - Benning confirms that they've made inquires about free agent goaltenders. Won't speculate on whether it's a buyer's market for veteran goalies because he doesn't know what other teams will do, and reiterates that they're pleased with the progress that Eddie Lack made last season, but says "As free agency comes up, we're gonna look at options. If it makes sense for us, we'll do that."
Kevin Woodley covers the Canucks for NHL.com and also writes for In Goal Magazine. Here's how he interprets that comment:
If you scroll back through Woodley's Twitter feed from yesterday, you'll see he also mentions that, based on Rollie Melanson's preferred playing style for Canuck goalies, Jonas Hiller would be a better fit than Ryan Miller. He also muses on whether the decline in Lack's play at the end of last season and his mysterious injury issues might be two of the reasons why the Canucks could be looking to beef up the back end.
- Playing the Kids - When asked if he'd be willing to insert an 18-year-old into the lineup immediately, Benning said, "If he comes in and earns a spot and deserves to be on the team, we'll make room for him. In a a perfect scenario i'd like our team to be good enough that we could be patient with him to let him develop properly."
Benning talks generally about the Canucks' need to get younger "over the next few years" and mentions Bo Horvat and "the sixth pick" as building blocks. No mention of Hunter Shinkaruk.
- Trading with Boston - Eklund is reporting that Loui Eriksson might be available from Boston, which makes some sense; they're cap-crunched and he wasn't a great fit for the team last year during an injury-filled season.
I don't know if Eriksson will be the same player after his concussions, but I bet Jim Benning has a pretty good idea. I do know that he was fantastic playing with the Sedins at the 2013 World Championships, when Sweden won the gold medal. He's a top-six winger and Boston's now a team that should be willing to engage in amiable trade discussions. Eriksson is 28 and has two more years left on a deal with a $4.25 million cap hit.
Speaking in general terms, Benning said he's had a couple of conversations with Peter Chiarelli but any possible deals would be the same as with any other team: it would have to be something that makes sense for both sides. Nothing specific—he laughed off one reporter's suggestion that the Canucks should go after Patrice Bergeron—but I think the Eriksson idea is a possibility worth watching.
- One other note: Mitchell to Minnesota? - Not from Benning, but worth mentioning:
Last week, I dismissed the idea that the Los Angeles Kings would let Willie Mitchell go, but to my surprise they decided to retain the younger Matt Greene instead. Reports are now coming out of Minnesota that the Wild are interested in bringing Mitchell back to where it all began. His wife is also from Minnesota.
Assuming our guys manage to stay a little healthier this year, I'm not sure we have room for him on our blue line but if Mitchell is available, I hope the Canucks do make a call to see what sort of terms he'd be seeking.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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