The Vancouver Canucks appear to have their sights set on hiring Boston Bruins assistant GM Jim Benning as their new general manager. On Tuesday the Bruins confirmed they have given Benning permission to speak with the Canucks.
“We have given permission for Jim to talk,” Neely told reporters at an end-of-season media availability Tuesday in Boston. “He has talked to a couple different teams. That’s what happens when you have success, that other teams look at other organizations that have had success and start inquiring about your management group. It’s something that a lot of good organizations have had to deal with over time and we’re dealing with that right now.”
The Canucks fired president and GM Mike Gillis in April after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. They have since hired former Canucks captain Trevor Linden as the team’s new president.
Benning, 51, played nine seasons in the NHL between 1981 and 1990, including parts of four seasons with the Canucks. He was a teammate of Linden’s for two of those years. Since the end of his playing career, Benning has served as a scout for the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres, later being named the Sabres’ director of amateur scouting before joining the Bruins.
The Canucks are also in search of a new head coach after Linden fired John Tortorella after one season in Vancouver.