The Fifth Liners

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 ...

In the midst of a thrilling playoff series which has seen numerous upsets such as the LA Kings coming from 3-0 to be beat San Jose over 7 thrilling games and the Columbus Blue Jackets pushing the Pittsburgh Penguins all the way in an honourable loss, the biggest news for Vancouver Canucks fans was that Head Coach John Tortorella , will be given his marching orders after only one year of his five year; $10 Million contract. To some this news will come as no surprise. The team has struggled for consistency this year and finished a disappointing 13th overall in the Western Conference, over 8 points away from the final wildcard slot for the playoffs. Tortorella also made headlines for the wrong reasons when he was suspended for two weeks after confronting the Calgary Flames team in January after a brawl at the start of the game. After much hype and hope from the Canucks fans that JT would mould this team into something memorable, it just hasn't happened. The Acquilani brothers ...