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Vancouver Canucks Plan To Retain Jim Benning As GM

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Things are getting interesting in Vancouver. On the eve of their season finale, a disappointing season at that, rumors are swirling around the Canucks. Earlier reports suggested that sweeping changes could be coming to the organization, including a potential return of Daniel and Henrik Sedin in front office roles. Meanwhile, head coach Travis Green is still working on an expiring contract and there has been no indication that a resolution is in sight. Given all of this mystery and speculation, the Canucks have made perhaps the most surprising move they could: retaining GM Jim Benning. The often-criticized executive has been informed that he will be back with the team next year, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

As Friedman relays, given all of the uncertainty that has arisen over the past 24 hours, ownership indicated to their front office leader that he would be returning. It’s a major decision to make ahead of a crucial off-season, as Benning will be charged with managing the Canucks’ approach to the NHL Expansion Draft (made more important by the Seattle Kraken becoming a geographical rival right away), properly executing a top-ten overall draft pick, and otherwise handling an off-season in which his roster must significantly improve despite sorely lacking cap space.

Therein lies most of the criticism of Benning as well. The GM, who has been on the job since 2014, has made some questionable decisions in regards to his most precious resource, cap space. Benning has deemed the likes of Brandon Sutter, Erik Gudbranson, Sam Gagner, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Sven Baertschi, and Micheal Ferland as being worthy of sizeable commitments during his tenure, which has hurt the team on the payroll and in opportunity cost. It also forced the departures of superior players, such as Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli last off-season. Those losses were felt this year as the Canucks, fresh off a run to the Western Conference semifinals last year, lived in the basement all season. Benning is left having to pick up the pieces and will try to find a way to squeeze more talent into his roster this summer.

Why is it Benning fixing the problem though? For starters, his track record on the trade market and in the draft at least come close to balancing out his contract negotiation mistakes. Since the 2018-19 trade deadline, Benning has added core members Tanner Pearson, J.T. Miller, and Nate Schmidt at below-market prices. His recent draft picks also include current and budding stars such as Quinn Hughes, Nils Hoglander, Vasili Podkolzin, Jack Rathbone, Michael DiPietro, Jett Woo, Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich, and more. So while some of Benning’s criticism is fair, too often his successes are ignored. Despite allegedly wanting to make major internal changes, the Canucks understand and appreciate what Benning has achieved and what he is trying to build in Vancouver. It seems that he will now be given at least one more year to show that he is still steering the organization in the right direction. It’s unlikely to appease the fans in the meantime, but the club hopes that their loyalty will be rewarded.

Coaching Notes: Tocchet, Green, Brind’Amour

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It seems that Rick Tocchet’s days as the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes could be numbered. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that there is growing speculation that Tocchet and the ’Yotes will part ways this off-season. Tocchet’s contract expires at the end of the season and Dreger does not believe that it will be extended. If not for the NHL’s expanded playoff structure last season, Tocchet would have failed to make the playoffs in each of his four seasons as the bench boss in Arizona. The team was statistically eliminated from contention this season with last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings, marking the end of what at one time looked like a promising playoff push. However, this is the third consecutive season that the ’Yotes have remained in the playoff picture until the very end of the season. Last year, it earned them a play-in series berth which the team turned into an upset win over the Nashville Predators and a first-round match-up with the Colorado Avalanche. Considering that Tocchet took over a team that finished last in the Pacific Division in his first season, three years of fringe contention and a play-in series win is far from failure for the veteran coach. Dreger does not definitively state that the separation is a unilateral decision by Arizona and it could be that this is an amicable breakup coming between Tocchet and the team. A highly-regarded assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins before joining the Coyotes, Tocchet should have no problem finding a job this summer and it could be that both sides equally want a fresh start.

  • Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green is still waiting for his contract extension. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that a resolution is expected to come before the end of the season – which for the Canucks is still almost two weeks away – but he adds that there has not been any change to the status quo of late. Green, like Tocchet, took over a struggling team in 2017-18 and has improved the group, including finishing third in the Pacific Division last season and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. While the current campaign has not gone as planned, with Vancouver on the verge of statistical elimination even with a number of games in hand on their North Division competitors, the organization is happy with Green and LeBrun notes that there continues to be mutual interest in a new multi-year deal. With that said, Green is among the bottom-third of coaches in terms of compensation and is seeking a raise, but LeBrun reports that the Canucks have not improved their offer recently. If the two sides truly want to get a deal done before the end of the regular season, they need to get to work.
  • Rod Brind’Amour is another coach who is awaiting a contract extension and there is little doubt that the leader of the President’s Trophy favorites will get a new, long-term deal. However, Dreger notes that the Hurricanes want to get the new deal done before the postseason, which leaves little time to work out the details. Brind’Amour has previously stated that he wants all of his fellow coaches and support staff to also have new deals finalized before he inks his own deal, so the Carolina Hurricanes have a number of negotiations to complete over the next week or two.

Snapshots: Expansion Draft, Novak, Pettersson

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The Seattle Kraken cannot yet make trades, but that won’t stop them from making a major impact on the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Kraken GM Ron Francis has begun to receive calls from a number of teams seeking input on potential deadline deals. Any team adding a valuable player who is not just an impending UFA rental is also adding another piece to their Expansion equation. In many cases, top contenders acquiring these quality players will either not be able to protect them or their addition will displace another valued player already on the roster. As a result, they have been reaching out to Francis to see what it would cost to make a side deal to protect assets that would be exposed by a potential deadline trade. According to LeBrun, the league’s other GM’s have not been happy with Francis’ responses. It seems the going rate for a side deal with Seattle to protect a player that they would otherwise be selecting is a first-round pick and a prospect. This price is scaring teams away from making major deals at the deadline, quieting a market that already has a number of restrictions working against it.

  • While a seventh-round pick may not mean much to the Ottawa Senators, especially given their immense pipeline of talent, it meant a lot to Bentley University. In 2018, the Senators’ final-round selection Jakov Novak became the first ever NHL Draft pick to attend Bentley, an Atlantic Hockey school who has never won their conference tournament nor qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The oft-forgotten Boston-area program was proud to add Novak, who has played up to expectations over the past three years. With 30 goals and 62 points in 87 games, including 17 points in 15 games this year, the power forward has been one of the best players in Atlantic Hockey – and other teams took notice. The junior winger is set to depart Bentley for greener pastures, leaving the program yet again absent of NHL talent. He’s not going far, though. Novak has announced that he will transfer to Northeastern University for next season. The Huskies exited the Hockey East Tournament early this year and did not qualify for the national stage, so they will be eager to add another talented forward with pro ability in hopes of taking a step forward next season. Novak hinted that 2021-22 could be the end of his NCAA career, but it only take one year for him to make a major impact at Northeastern. Vice versa, just one year playing alongside and against superior collegiate talent could be a major developmental leap for Novak that earns him a contract with Ottawa.
  • Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson was eligible to be activated from the Long-Term Injured Reserve for the first time today, but his stay is not yet over. Head coach Travis Green tells NHL.com that the team underestimated Pettersson’s upper-body injury and he is not close to a return. “Definitely was more serious than we thought originally,” Green stated on Tuesday. “We didn’t think it was going to be this long. It hasn’t gotten any better to a point where he can play yet and I still think he’s going to be out for a few more games at least.” After a slow start to the season, the Canucks have been playing much better of late. In fact, they have the second-best record in their past ten games of any team in the North Division. However, still more than 100 percentage points back of a playoff spot, Vancouver will need Pettersson healthy if they want to complete the comeback.

Vancouver Canucks Intend To Extend Travis Green

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While no contract has been signed yet, Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that the team is working to extend head coach Travis Green to a new contract, keeping him in the fold.

“Travis has done an excellent job coaching this group of players. I think, from a development standpoint, our young players have continued to get better under him every year. We think he’s the right fit for this group and our group moving forward,” Benning said during a press conference Sunday as the Canucks opened training camp. “We want to kind of take a look at the financial landscape of the whole business here as we keep moving forward, but our intention is to sign Travis to an extension so he’s part of our group here moving forward.”

Green, whose contract expires at the end of the 2020-21 season, has been quite successful since being hired in 2017. He has posted a 102-103-28 record, which may not be the most impressive record over three seasons. However, the team has made significant progress each season, placing seventh in 2017-18, fifth in 2018-19 and then in third place in the Pacific Division last year, including a deep run into the playoffs, almost ousting the Vegas Golden Knights in the process.

Benning does have other significant negotiations to work out as well, including new deals for soon-to-be restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes as well as goalie Thatcher Demko.

Snapshots: Eriksson, Green, Patrick, Steen

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Loui Eriksson’s tenure with the Canucks has certainly been a rocky one through the first four seasons.  In an interview with Sportsnet 650 (audio link), GM Jim Benning acknowledged that he did try to move the winger this offseason but they weren’t able to find a taker.  With two years left on his deal that carries a $6MM cap hit, that’s not too surprising.  As things stand, the veteran will enter training camp hoping to land a spot on the fourth line although he is a candidate to be waived and sent to the minors to free up $1.075MM in cap room.

Benning also acknowledged that talks continue with head coach Travis Green about a contract extension.  He has been behind the bench for the Canucks since the 2017-18 season and is entering the final year of his contract.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Flyers forward Nolan Patrick is skating without headaches as he tries to work his way back from concussion-like symptoms that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). While there are still some hurdles to be cleared, it certainly appears as if the second-overall pick in 2017 will have a shot at suiting up at some point for Philadelphia next season which is a great sign.  Patrick accepted his qualifying offer this offseason of just over $874K and because he didn’t play at all last year, he still is exempt from waivers for one more season.
  • Blues winger Alex Steen won’t be ready to suit up whenever the 2020-21 season gets underway, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There’s no word yet on how much time he’ll miss but as things stand, he’s a strong candidate to join winger Vladimir Tarasenko on LTIR to start the year.  That will give them some short-term cap flexibility in their efforts to re-sign RFA defenseman Vince Dunn.

Vancouver Canucks’ Loui Eriksson Has No Plans To Retire

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Barring a trade, the Loui Eriksson era in Vancouver is far from over. In fact, quite the contrary as the veteran is preparing for the upcoming postseason with the hopes of playing a regular role with the Canucks, reports The Province’s Ben Kuzma. In an interview, Eriksson described how he has plenty of gas left in the tank, both for the playoffs this season and for years to come.

Eriksson, 35, still has two years left on his contract at an AAV of $6MM. However, the former 30-goal scorer has been relegated to a part-time role in Vancouver, playing in just 49 games this season. Many Canucks fans had hoped that Eriksson might opt to retire and leave his remaining money on the table due to the drop-off in his usage, but the veteran tells Kuzma that this won’t be the case. He plans to keep playing and the Canucks will have to find some other way to get rid of him if they no longer want him around next season. While the cap-strapped club would love to move on from Eriksson’s $6MM cap hit, which resulted in just 13 points this year, a buyout or an AHL demotion do relatively little to aid in their cap situation. Recent reports indicated that the asking price from other teams to take on Eriksson’s contract was a young roster player. As a result, Vancouver might find it difficult to move the veteran.

Fortunately, Eriksson’s personal relationship with the team does seem to be improving. This past summer, Eriksson did not exactly speak glowingly about his head coach Travis Green, stating that the two did not see eye to eye. However, he has changed his tune in talking with Kuzma, saying that the relationship between the two has been better. Eriksson also spoke about his love of the game and his desire to help the Canucks this postseason. Eriksson still believes that he can be an effective defensive forward and his performance has backed up this claim. While this may not amount to $6MM in value, it may come in handy along with his experience and leadership in the playoffs. What happens beyond this postseason remains to be seen and could very much be tied to Eriksson’s performance, but for now Canucks fans can only hope that after four disappointing seasons that their “star” free agent expenditure has saved his best for a deep playoff run this year.

Pacific Notes: Oilers Offseason, Green, Hughes, Gretzky

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The Edmonton Oilers are still trying to put together a impact top-six. The team seems to have formed a new No. 2 line between Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, but the team is still trying to find partners for their No. 1 line centered around Connor McDavid.

The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that throughout his career McDavid has always had a physical winger with him he wonders if that is even necessary any more. While the team is limited in its current options, this summer is likely to be a different story. The scribe writes that general manager Ken Holland will be looking to spend some money this offseason with names such as Taylor Hall and perhaps a more likely candidate could be Mike Hoffman, who might be the perfect linemate for McDavid if the two were paired together.

  • While Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that the team will wait until the summer to discuss a possible contract extension with head coach Travis Green, The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal (subscription required) writes that the team needs to lock up Green, considering the work he has put in over the last few years and how the team currently sits in first place in the Pacific Division. Of course, with four teams just one point behind them, Green’s extension could be tied with the team making the playoffs (especially considering the team traded their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to get J.T. Miller this summer). However, the scribe points out that the team needs Green locked up, not dealing with a new coach next season.
  • In a seperate tweet, Dhaliwal notes that Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes finds himself in a good position for an extension on July 1. Agent Pat Brisson said they will deal with it as they get closer to July 1. Hughes has had an impressive rookie year, which includes a trip to the All-Star game and could score quite an extension if Benning is willing. “We can start talking with Canucks on July 1st,” said Brisson. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. He is sure building a case as a strong asset. We will see how it goes.”
  • As rumored, Pacific Division’s head coach Rick Tocchet, who agreed to take over for fired Gerard Gallant at the All-Star game today, has got NHL icon Wayne Gretzky to serve behind his bench as an assistant coach, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. Gretzky served as head coach of the Coyotes from 2005 to 2009,

Tyler Motte Out At Least Four Weeks

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It wasn’t clear how long Tyler Motte would be out when he ended up on injured reserve recently, but Vancouver Canucks Travis Green cleared things up today. Green indicated that Motte will miss “at least four weeks,” while Micheal Ferland is still in the concussion protocol.

Motte, 24, was a constant in the Canucks lineup last season, recording 16 points in 74 games as an energy player in the bottom six. His 200 hits easily led all Vancouver players while also contributing on the penalty kill.

That energy will be missed, but the Canucks are rolling right now with a 9-3-2 record good for third in the Western Conference. They’ve found more than enough capable forwards to fill out a lineup, even without Motte and Ferland for the next little while.

Pacific Notes: Ferland, Boucher, Elvenes

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The notable recall of Sven Baertschi on Friday morning was made possible by the placement of fellow veteran forward Micheal Ferland on injured reserve. At the time, the team did not state why Ferland was sidelined, but have since updated the situation. Head coach Travis Green revealed that Ferland has been placed in the NHL’s concussion protocol. The team gave no timeline for his return to action, quite possibly because Ferland’s history of head injuries could be complicating his condition. The Province’s Patrick Johnson believes that Ferland suffered the concussion at the hands of Kyle Clifford, as the two fought in Wednesday night’s match-up between the Canucks and Los Angeles Kings. Toward the end of the fight, Clifford hit Ferland with several hard rights, and the Vancouver winger seems somewhat dazed and hesitant to retaliate. Now enduring the third documented concussion of his pro career, Ferland has opted not to change the style of his game despite the health risks, as Johnson writes that he told the Vancouver media he had “zero concerns” about his concussion history when he arrived as a free agent this off-season. Now, both the player and team just have to hope that this latest concussion didn’t inflict lasting damage that could keep him out long-term.

  • With Baertschi now back in Vancouver, the next man up for the Canucks in the event of another injury up front would very likely be Reid Boucher. Boucher has been named the AHL’s Player of the Month of October after recording ten goals and 13 points in eight games with the Utica Comets. Now in his fourth season with the Canucks organization, the 26-year-old forward saw his NHL games played drop from 38 in 2016-17 to 20 in 2017-18 to just one game last season. His minor league production held constant during that time too at or above a point-per-game pace. The difference so far this season though is the goal totals. While Boucher, once considered a top NHL prospect, has always had a nose for the net, ten goals and eight games is another level of scoring production. A forward with NHL experience enjoying a hot streak in the goal department is a nice asset for the Canucks, and Boucher has earned another shot at an NHL role if an opportunity arises in Vancouver.
  • The AHL’s Rookie of the Month comes from the rival Vegas Golden Knights. Swedish import Lucas Elvenes took home the honor with 15 points in his first ten games with the Chicago Wolves. The 2017 fifth-round pick continues to exceed expectations and, as The Athletic’s Jesse Granger writes, he is quickly becoming a prized prospect for Vegas. Elvenes, 20, was held scoreless in a dozen games in the top-level Swedish Hockey League in his draft year. The next year, he surprisingly jumped up to 16 points in 28 games and then last year took on a regular role in the SHL for Rogle BK. Now in North America, he has already surpassed his goal total from last year with four tallies to go along with eleven assists. Granger notes that there were signs of this sudden offensive development at Golden Knights training camp, but now it is on full display in the AHL. While he doubts Elvenes gets a shot at the NHL right away this season, Granger believes that Elvenes could be just what the Knights need in an otherwise barren pipeline of young prospect talent at forward.

Pacific Notes: Seattle, Canucks, Puljujarvi, Palmu

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The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft is still two full seasons away, but the Seattle expansion team is not messing around in the meantime. If early indications hold true, Seattle will make their presence felt in the NHL long before they actually become an official club. On Thursday night, the second night of the new campaign, Seattle is already out scouting the competition – or more likely the 2021 free agent class and possible Expansion Draft offerings. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that, presumably for the first time, a Seattle scout is at a game in an official capacity. Former NHLer Stu Barnes is set to watch the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars square off, two talent-laden teams who will likely have tough decisions to make come expansion time. However, this is likely just the beginning. Expect Barnes and company to be a fixture at games for the next two years.

  • With the Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal and Maple Leafs’ John Tavares recently joining the elite group that is NHL captains, the number of teams without a captain has shrunk even further. The Vegas Golden Knights have yet to name the first captain in franchise history, while the New York Rangers have also been without a captain since 2017-18. Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Vancouver Canucks have holdover vacancies from last season. However, this group is about lose yet another member. Canucks head coach Travis Green has stated that the team will formally announce their new captain ahead of their home opener on October 9. Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini confirmed as much today, stating that he, Green, and GM Jim Benning saw leadership begin to develop last season and feel they are ready to name a captain. Vancouver has already named four alternates – Alexander Edler, Bo Horvat, Brandon Sutter, and Chris Tanev – and the odds are that the new “C” will be one of the current “A”’s. If the team wants to reward loyalty and establish a veteran leader, Edler is the likely choice. If they want to anoint a young core player as the man to take the team into the future, Horvat will be the selection. Those two have a better chance than Sutter or Tanev, both of whom have seen their roles on the team questioned over the last year or so, but anything is possible.
  • Speaking with Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes in his latest “31 Thoughts” column that it is his impression that the team is simply waiting and hoping for a better return on disgruntled prospect Jesse Puljujarvi. Puljujarvi followed through on his threat and signed in Europe this off-season when the Oilers wouldn’t trade him. Since then, Edmonton has shifted their focus solely to moving out the young winger, but only at a fair price. Friedman writes that Holland can only hope that Puljujarvi’s trade stock gets a boost from his performance in Finland. Thus far, Puljujarvi has seven points in eight games for the Liiga’s Karpat, which puts him in the top-20 scorers early on, but not exactly at the top. Friedman does mention some actual names – for the first time – that came up in trade talks this summer but were seemingly dismissed by Edmonton: a trio of forwards including the Carolina Hurricanes’ Julien Gauthier, the St. Louis Blues’ Klim Kostin, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Alexander Volkov.
  • Another NHL prospect staying in Europe for a while longer is the Canucks’ Petrus Palmu. After news emerged on Wednesday that he was likely to be officially loaned to JYP of the Liiga, the Finnish club confirmed the transfer today. Palmu, a 2017 sixth-round pick who signed his entry-level contract in 2018 and played briefly in the AHL to begin last season, will continue to develop overseas for another year at least. Now officially signed with JYP, Palmu is set to make his season debut this weekend.

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