Report: Jim Benning has been essentially stripped of his duties

It's not exactly a secret that this season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Vancouver Canucks.

After an offseason of activity, the Canucks entered the 2021-22 campaign with nearly a dozen new players on the roster and an improved outlook on things moving forward. And then the puck dropped...

The Canucks are an abysmal 6-12-2 in their first 20 games this season and there are rumours swirling that forwards J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat are in play on the trade market and that GM Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green are all operating on borrowed time. In other words, it's an absolute shit show in Vancouver.

So... what happens next? Does Green get the axe? Does Benning make one final trade in a desperate attempt to right the ship?

Don't count on the latter, as Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reports that Benning has been slow to respond to calls from other general managers across the league, leading to the belief that he has essentially been stripped of his powers by owner Francesco Aquilini.

Check it out:

Interestingly enough, if you're a Canucks fan you may recall that you've already seen this movie. 

Aquilini infamously stripped former GM Mike Gillis of his powers before officially firing him months later back in 2014. Gillis was reportedly told by Aquilini that he did not have authority to fire then-head coach John Tortorella or to trade superstar goaltender Roberto Luongo. Ultimately Luongo was traded to the Florida Panthers in a deal that many believe was orchestrated by Aquilini himself and Tortorella was let go by newly hired President Trevor Linden once Gillis was fired in the offseason.

All of this is to say that Benning appears to be on the same "Dead Man Walking" trajectory that Gillis was on back in 2014. The only thing Canucks fans are left wondering this time around is what kind of deal Aquilini might pull off between now and whenever a new GM is hired. Would Aquilini go ahead and trade one of Miller, Boeser and Horvat despite Benning's advice? If you're a Canucks fan though, would you want either of these guys making bold moves that will impact the team for years to come? Trying times in Van City, to be sure.