Damaging Details Emerge About Former GM Jim Benning's Time With the Vancouver Canucks
Photo credit: Vancouver Canucks/NHL
A new report has revealed some major mistakes made by former Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia.
Former Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning made his fair share of mistakes during his time at the helm of the club, before being fired in late 2021 and replaced by Patrik Allvin.
Trading defensive prospect Gustav Forsling and not re-signing Tyler Toffoli are among some of the worst mistakes he made with the Vancouver Canucks, but those pale in comparison to what reportedly happened at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
New report uncovers major mistakes made by Jim Benning at 2014 draft
The 2014 NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia was Jim Benning's first major event with the team after being hired by the Vancouver Canucks a month prior.
Benning previously served as the Assistant General Manager of the Boston Bruins, so obviously, he wasn't privy to any information on who the Vancouver Canucks' scouting staff were eyeing up, until he was hired in May of 2014.
Vancouver's scouting staff, as they do every single year, work tirelessly to find the right players to add to the team's prospect pool with the hopes of them hitting and becoming a star in the National Hockey League and in 2014, the team had a big opportunity in front of themselves with two first round picks - 6th and 24th overall.
According to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, Jim Benning and the Vancouver Canucks' scouting staff reportedly had a disagreement at the draft regarding who to select in the first round.
With the sixth overall pick, the scouting staff wanted to take William Nylander, who has gone on to become an elite first line player in the NHL with Toronto, but instead, Jim Benning selected Jake Virtanen, who has spent the last four year in Europe.
When it came to their second first round pick, at 24th overall, the scouting staff wanted to select David Pastrnak, who like Nylander, is a star in the NHL right now with three straight seasons with 100+ points.
Instead of listening to the scouting staff, Benning opted to take Jared McCann, who in his own right has gone on to become a very reliable second liner in the NHL, but is nowhere near the level of player that David Pastrnak is.
"At the 2014 draft, the Vancouver Canucks had two first round picks. There was a rumoured disagreement between GM Jim Benning and the scouting staff (info via @Hockey_Robinson).
At 6th overall, the scouting staff wanted William Nylander, Benning wanted Jake Virtanen.
They took Jake Virtanen
At 24th overall, the scouting staff wanted David Pastrnak, Benning wanted Jared McCann.
They took Jared McCann.
The Canucks could have had a lineup in 2017/18 of:
Sedin-Sedin-Pastrnak
Nylander-Horvat-Boeser
Vanek-Sutter-Granlund
Eriksson-Gagner-Baertschi
What could have been..." BigHeadHockey said in a post on X.
At 6th overall, the scouting staff wanted William Nylander, Benning wanted Jake Virtanen.
They took Jake Virtanen
At 24th overall, the scouting staff wanted David Pastrnak, Benning wanted Jared McCann.
They took Jared McCann.
The Canucks could have had a lineup in 2017/18 of:
Sedin-Sedin-Pastrnak
Nylander-Horvat-Boeser
Vanek-Sutter-Granlund
Eriksson-Gagner-Baertschi
What could have been..." BigHeadHockey said in a post on X.
Now, it's hard to say for certain, but if the Vancouver Canucks had drafted William Nylander and David Pastrnak, there's a good chance the team would've at least made it to one Stanley Cup Final by now.
However on the flip side, if they drafted those two in 2014, it could've resulted in them finishing higher in the NHL's standings in 2017 and 2018, meaning they may have missed out on selecting Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, two massive pieces of their roster right now.
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