Through his first three years as Vancouver Canucks general manager, Jim Benning has stayed away from making blockbuster trades — and rightfully so.
He came over to inherit the mess that predecessor Mike Gillis left behind. Benning was forced to deal away fan favourite Ryan Kesler after the 2011 Selke Trophy winner requested a trade which was granted to the Anaheim Ducks in 2014.
Other than that, Benning has smartly tried to build this team through the draft and hasn’t sacrificed future assets for star players that could help them “win now”. But as the Canucks continue to stock up their farm system, you do wonder if Benning will eventually go for it and make a big move.