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If you’re the type of person who expects life to be a “meritocracy,” the NHL has probably upset you quite a bit in the last week.
Not long after the hockey train wreck known as the Ottawa Senators rewarded one of the architects of their mess, GM Pierre Dorion, with a contract extension while embracing a rebuild, the Canucks basically did the same thing with GM Jim Benning.
The team announced a multi-year extension on Wednesday, leaving fans in dismay and onlookers flustered. They also put out a “Yep, we’re rebuilding” press release this week, following the lead of the Rangers and Senators.
Jim Benning has been given an extension by the Canucks. To facilitate the extension, Jim Benning has traded away a 3rd round pick.
— bird hating account (@atf13atf) February 14, 2018
The thing is, this is probably the toughest of the moves to defend. While the Senators dealt with budgetary limitations and leftover mistakes from before Dorion’s days, Ottawa enjoyed some recent successes. After all, they were within a goal of advancing to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, and Dorion was nominated for GM of the Year, with the hiring of coach Guy Boucher proving instrumental in that run.
Under Benning’s watch, the biggest wins have ... basically been when the Canucks play against type and actually rebuild a bit or draft well (on paper). There have been serious gaffes in trying to avoid the reality that this team was past its prime, with Loui Eriksson’s contract (that $6 million cap hit still runs through 2021-22, somehow) being the most glaring example.
By no means is Benning solely responsible for the Canucks’ downfall, but it sends a strange message that he’s getting an extension.
Under Jim Benning, the Canucks have missed the playoffs 4 out of 5 seasons and lost in the first round against the 16th-ranked team the other time.
— Adam Herman (@AdamZHerman) February 14, 2018
Today, he gets a contract extension from a Team President who had zero prior management/hockey ops experience at any level.
On the bright side, Benning’s performed reasonably well, at least when everyone’s on the same page about rebuilding.
The not-so-bright side is that there still seems to be a tone of denial in Vancouver. From reports of management wanting to bring back polarizing defenseman Erik Gudbranson - who could bring back a nice return - to not moving on from Henrik and Daniel Sedin, there are some signs that the Canucks might parallel the Detroit Red Wings in trying to have their cake and eat it too.
(That approach has really just clogged their arteries, honestly.)
Henrik Sedin on GM Jim Benning’s contract extension with #Canucks: “It’s the right thing to do. I think it’s good to keep him on board.”
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) February 14, 2018
Ultimately, it’s tough to ignore that the NHL is a tight-knit community, and sometimes that means that people who are part of the “inner circle” tend to get more chances than those with fresher voices.
sneak peek at the pie charts for our research into the background of your favourite team's general manager. Where do these guys come from?
— Jason Paul 🥥 (@WaveIntel) February 6, 2018
Former pro players are in demand for NHL executive jobs; more so than their sister leagues. more to come.#NHL #NBA #MLB pic.twitter.com/gL4kbxlQRP
Maybe the Canucks will turn things around, maybe they won’t. More progressive teams might be licking their chops at moves like these, though.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.