Is Jim Benning The Right Choice For Canucks Future?

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It's all change in British Columbia this week as today it was announced that Jim Benning has been appointed the new General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks, replacing Mike Gillis who was fired previously. Benning has been the Assistant GM of the Boston Bruin since 2006, but is this man the right choice to lead this team into a new age? Here are some points for consideration

Positives
  • Brings a Stanley Cup win with the Bruins in 2011 
  • Proven track record in the front office
  • Also spent 12 year with the Buffalo Sabres
  • Former Canucks defenseman from 1986-90, so at least knows what fans will expect of him 
  • Is a younger candidate who may be able to come up with fresher ideas unlike Gillis who really made a mess of affairs in his time in office. 
Negatives
  •  First real position of authority 
  • Unknown if he is able to handle the big time pressure 
  • Is un-tested in the trade game so we are unsure if he will be able to pull off any major coups to better this teams offense. 
  • Ideas for the job unclear so we are not sure what plans he aims to bring to this franchise for the future? 
All fans can reserve judgement on Benning until the season really gets going, but it is interesting to see that the Acquilani Brothers are turning more towards familiar faces to run this team, and the appointment of Canucks legend Trevor Linden as Director of Hockey Operations is a good step to take. Benning at least has tasted success with Boston, just hope that some of Peter Chiarelli's wisdom has rubbed off on him- Good Luck Jim! 

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