Canucks GM Benning shield himself as fans demand changes!

Everything went wrong for the Vancouver Canucks last season and it seems like history is repeating itself in 2021-22… The Canucks sit second-last in the Pacific Division and the fanbase is growing angry as the promises made by GM Jim Benning eight years ago when he took over the club aren’t leading the team anywhere while costing it multiple high-draft picks and all of its cap flexibility…

So, you have to imagine that management is looking at solutions, right? Maybe pulling off a trade or shaking up the roster would be a last-ditch effort to save the season…

Well, not according to Darren Dreger, who revealed during last night’s edition of Insider Trading on TSN what he’s hearing out of Vancouver.

“More from an angry fan base that there’s a strong appetite for change, be it change in management, change in coaching, just some form of change, that’s what we continue to hear. General manager Jim Benning is shielding himself away from the media, from the noise outside, so he’s committed to making his club better. The coaching staff, their commitment is to try and help this group through a real tough start to the regular season. Meanwhile, you’ve got the agents who are now fielding the calls amid all the speculation, trying to separate fact from fiction. So, truthfully, it’s just another day of turmoil in the season that is for the Vancouver Canucks.”

Not sure if that means changes are coming, but you have to imagine that if Benning is looking to pull a trade that would mean shipping out someone that would fetch a strong return without ruining team morale… Tough ask.

Agents have been denying trade chatter, like the ones of JT Miller and Brock Boeser, though we know they would fetch great returns. Some pundits believe that Benning does have some untouchables which include Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Bo Horvat, Thatcher Demko, Nils Höglander and Conor Garland.

What does it mean for the others? Well, as long as Benning is shielding himself we might not find out…

The Canucks face the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. Let’s see if things get worse…