You know Vantel and his penchant for hyperbole and drama......even if the Canucks won the Cup, he'd still call the Sedins soft and be pissed that the Cancuks didnt win 98 straight games....
- chompsey

Head back in the sand and hope that 24 the place magically goes away.

Head back in the sand and hope that 24 the place magically goes away.
- VANTEL

Its not in the sand, I just choose to remain positive rather expose my dirty laundry on Montel.....

Its not in the sand, I just choose to remain positive rather expose my dirty laundry on Montel.....
- chompsey

Holy smokes chompsey. Your in a bit of a snarl lately. Just remember masterbation is not a crime

Holy smokes chompsey. Your in a bit of a snarl lately. Just remember masterbation is not a crime
- Bieksa#3

I'm in a snarl everyday!!! Couldn't agree more...

Holy smokes chompsey. Your in a bit of a snarl lately. Just remember masterbation is not a crime
- Bieksa#3

Someone stole the banana from the grumpy chompansey.

Someone stole the banana from the grumpy chompansey.
- boonerbuck

Well played

Well played
- Bieksa#3

I dont think booner needs a hype man but I suppose everyone needs a sidekick....

Indeed, well-played booner, well-played......

I would be completely shocked and surprised if this were to happen. Can't see it though.
- LeftCoaster

yep

Adult Daycare

I know Derrick Pouliot was a potential trade target for Vancouver with Pittsburgh, but yesterday it was reported that he has a serious shoulder injury, and is in Pittsburgh right now to have surgery.
With pittsburgh not having a GM I don't know how far that Kesler trade could potentially progress.

Are the Canucks not interested in Shero? I kinda think he got hosed in Pittsburgh and think he's a pretty good GM.

Are the Canucks not interested in Shero? I kinda think he got hosed in Pittsburgh and think he's a pretty good GM.
- darkman

Everyone is second in line to Benning......

But then again how many GM's like the environment of working in Canada for any organization with all of the pressure.

a) Not his call, unless he refuses permission for the Pens to talk to Benning, which could sour their relationship.

b) Just because he owns a house in Oregon doesn't automatically mean he'll want to move closer to it, he's going to want to take the best job available.

c) He might have a relationship with Linden, but the Canucks require several years of retooling before a Cup run is realistic or even possible whereas the Pens are much closer and don't need as much rebuilding. There's also the fact that the Canucks franchise as a whole is a mess internally after all that's happened and it's possible it might scare off decent/star candidates due to having to fix the mess first. There's also having to deal with increasingly sceptical and hostile media and fans in this market that will turn on a person after a losing streak as quickly as a bipolar sufferer shifts moods. Would Benning really want to deal with that?

I'm not saying Benning won't eventually be hired by the Canucks, but I do think banking on him being the GM is foolish. No news is not good news, if Benning really was their candidate and he's going to be hired, some word would have leaked out of the Canucks camp by now. The fact that they're still interviewing candidates means that they have no one they really like yet and does anyone really want this management team (which is mostly made up of Gillis's staff that wasn't let go when he was and Linden) make the picks in this draft?
- DariusKnight

Your take on the Canucks' current situation is a little extreme. It isn't the horrendous mess you're making it out to be.

This clusterfuk gets better and better. So now they will have an inexperienced president who has been in hockey operations for two months , going to the podium with one of the worst drafting crews in the NHL to pick in one of the most important drafts in team history.



- VANTEL

On the plus side, Trevor couldn't do any worse than the previous regimes. And by previous regimes, I mean every regime the Canucks have ever had, because they've all drafted horrendously.

If I'm Benning and both PIT and VAN approached me with an offer (assuming the salaries weren't too far apart) I'd be picking PIT.

Vancouver is an infinitely more attractive city than Pittsburgh but the scrutiny isn't as oppressive or irrational and the team is much closer to having a winning product. Expectations for immediate success would undoubtedly be higher, but for all the talk of a retool here in Vancouver I think the level of expectation is such that the fanbase would be expecting a quick turnaround. Given our current situation that would seem much more difficult to successfully accomplish.

I just hope that Linden is doing the due diligence and hammering the phones for every possible candidate. We're certainly not alone this summer in needing to fill the GM and coaching positions.
- AlexF

Why does everyone think the Penguins are such an amazing franchise? They've been awful in the playoffs for years, even though they've had Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Letang, etc. They're a poorly constructed team with crap D, crap goaltending, crap depth and a crap cap situation to fix those things.

Your take on the Canucks' current situation is a little extreme. It isn't the horrendous mess you're making it out to be.
- KB3Point0

9 NTCs, no prospect depth, aging stars and you don't think it's a horrendous mess? It's going to take years for us to be able to make a realistic run at the Cup, even if we somehow managed to steal Holland from Detroit to be our GM. Let's be clear, we're not a playoff team at this time, while I don't think we'll be as bad as we were last year, our goaltending is suspect now that we don't have Schneider or Luongo to stabilize it. Our D-core is inconsistent and has far too many 3-4 types and no real PMD. Our Forward core is aging and lacks depth and we have no real options for reliable secondary scoring and a bottom 6 that can't even be relied upon to shutdown other teams lines... need I go on?

Why does everyone think the Penguins are such an amazing franchise? They've been awful in the playoffs for years, even though they've had Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Letang, etc. They're a poorly constructed team with crap D, crap goaltending, crap depth and a crap cap situation to fix those things.

But the difference is that the core of the Pens are 6-7 years younger than us, has a longer window and aren't the mess we are in. Not to mention they don't have the number of NTC contracts to deal with which makes it easier for them to make the changes necessary. Plus they play in a much weaker division where their only real competition is the Rangers, whereas we play in arguably the strongest division in the NHL in the Pacific.

Why does everyone think the Penguins are such an amazing franchise? They've been awful in the playoffs for years, even though they've had Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Letang, etc. They're a poorly constructed team with crap D, crap goaltending, crap depth and a crap cap situation to fix those things.
- KB3Point0

I think they are on their way down.

9 NTCs, no prospect depth, aging stars and you don't think it's a horrendous mess? It's going to take years for us to be able to make a realistic run at the Cup, even if we somehow managed to steal Holland from Detroit to be our GM. Let's be clear, we're not a playoff team at this time, while I don't think we'll be as bad as we were last year, our goaltending is suspect now that we don't have Schneider or Luongo to stabilize it. Our D-core is inconsistent and has far too many 3-4 types and no real PMD. Our Forward core is aging and lacks depth and we have no real options for reliable secondary scoring and a bottom 6 that can't even be relied upon to shutdown other teams lines... need I go on?



But the difference is that the core of the Pens are 6-7 years younger than us, has a longer window and aren't the mess we are in. Not to mention they don't have the number of NTC contracts to deal with which makes it easier for them to make the changes necessary. Plus they play in a much weaker division where their only real competition is the Rangers, whereas we play in arguably the strongest division in the NHL in the Pacific.
- DariusKnight

I think we have as many players with NTCs as the Pens have players under contract next year.

Holy Christ it's hot down here, I love it! A dozen Dos Equis and I haven't even broke the seal yet

Personally I don't think the Canucks are in the "mess" that some claim, are they contenders, no, but far from a mess. They're in a period of transition and can't afford anymore incompetent (frank)s like Gillis, there's still some good pieces there though. A couple good trades and three good years of drafting (including last year) could see them back around a 100 point season again.

FYI - I'm not in any way comparing the Canucks with the Penguins above. They're obviously in a good position going forward with whomever comes in to the GM position.

Holy Christ it's hot down here, I love it! A dozen Dos Equis and I haven't even broke the seal yet

Personally I don't think the Canucks are in the "mess" that some claim, are they contenders, no, but far from a mess. They're in a period of transition and can't afford anymore incompetent (frank)s like Gillis, there's still some good pieces there though. A couple good trades and three good years of drafting (including last year) could see them back around a 100 point season again.
- LeftCoaster

Have a great time

If Benning is looking at who will have the better chance at winning then he should just stay with Boston. The point of taking the job is the challenge, he will never make a name for himself taking the easy road. The longer we go without news the more the negativity grows about this team, at this point I'd take Kaptaan's racism.
- A_SteamingLombardi

+1

If I'm in this business (or any business, for that matter), I would want to take up a challenge which can demonstrate to both myself and others that I can be successful in any situation. If that means taking on a situation/role where there needs to be more involvement and/or out of the box' thinking, I would be foolish to, instead, jump into a situation where you are fortunate enough to already have all the major pieces in place, and where there is hardly as much pressure in terms of organizational aspects which need to be addressed, as is the case in Vancouver.

Of course it's a matter of perspective and, I suppose, ultimately job security, but if I'm looking at really making a name for myself, advancing my career and value in this business, I take up the exciting challenge of putting my stamp on the successful resurrection of a franchise to that of perennial contender, which would ultimately be that much more rewarding

+1

If I'm in this business (or any business, for that matter), I would want to take up a challenge which can demonstrate to both myself and others that I can be successful in any situation. If that means taking on a situation/role where there needs to be more involvement and/or out of the box' thinking, I would be foolish to, instead, jump into a situation where you are fortunate enough to already have all the major pieces in place, and where there is hardly as much pressure in terms of organizational aspects which need to be addressed, as is the case in Vancouver.

Of course it's a matter of perspective and, I suppose, ultimately job security, but if I'm looking at really making a name for myself, advancing my career and value in this business, I take up the exciting challenge of putting my stamp on the successful resurrection of a franchise to that of perennial contender, which would ultimately be that much more rewarding
- Zogg

If Benning was really smart he would sign to be the GM of Pitts, trade Malkin Crosby Pouliot and Matta to Cancuks for Sestito . get fired by Mario and then sign with the Canucks.

If Benning was really smart he would sign to be the GM of Pitts, trade Malkin Crosby Pouliot and Matta to Cancuks for Sestito . get fired by Mario and then sign with the Canucks.
- VANTEL

see? now that's thinking out of the box (and I would add, that's one big f*cking box!)

see? now that's thinking out of the box (and I would add, that's one big f*cking box!)
- Zogg

Yeah, Vantel's definitely gleaming the cube with that game plan