(Vancouver) The Vancouver Canucks have reportedly fired general manager Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green.
Bruce Boudreau would take Green’s place according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
A Canucks spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The news comes after the Canucks suffered a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night in Vancouver. They left the rink to the boos of supporters as some spectators shouted “fire Benning!” “.
The Vancouver squad are currently in last place in the Pacific section with an 8-15-2 record.
Several star Canucks players are struggling up front this season and the special teams have failed in their task. The British Columbia team has the worst penalty kill in the NHL (64.6%) and only hits the target 17.4% of their power play chances.
Ahead of the season, Benning reshuffled the roster through contract buyouts, free agent signings and a trade that saw the Canucks send draft picks and three forwards to the Coyotes from the Arizona for spirited winger Conor Garland and veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Benning recently said he was taken aback by the way his team started the season and said he was “upset” by chants from fans demanding his dismissal.
“I think that as a management team, these seven years and more, we have worked very hard to properly draft and develop our players properly,” he told reporters on November 18, indicating that the performances of the team “tired” and “worn out” everyone.
“The supporters are frustrated. I understand their frustration. We are frustrated. We have to understand that and get back on track and play the way I think we can. ”
The Canucks made two playoff appearances during Benning’s tenure, including the 2019-20 season when the team surprised more than one in the Edmonton bubble. Vancouver beat the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues before being eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in a seven-game series.
The team couldn’t keep up with the condensed 2020-21 campaign schedule, however, finishing last in the seven all-Canadian-team North Division with a 23-29-4 record and missing the playoffs for the fifth time. in six years.
It has been a tough season for the Canucks on and off the ice, with outbreaks of COVID-19 that have sidelined several players.
Twenty-one players and four coaching staff have tested positive for the virus with many symptomatic cases. The wives and children of several players also fell ill.
The outbreak has forced the NHL to postpone several Canucks games and the team has not played for more than three weeks.
Originally hired in 2014, Benning signed a three-year extension with the Canucks in August 2019.
“I think the owners are happy with the direction of the team,” he said after the deal was announced.
Prior to joining the Canucks, Benning served as the Boston Bruins’ assistant general manager for seven seasons, winning a Stanley Cup with the team in 2011.
The Edmonton native also spent 12 years as the Buffalo Sabers’ amateur scouting director and played 12 seasons on the blue line for the Toronto Canucks and Maple Leafs.
Benning has been credited with drafting some of the rising stars, including Elias Pettersson, who was named 2019 NHL Rookie of the Year.
For his part, head coach Travis Green, 50, was in his fifth season behind the Canucks bench. He led the team to a playoff appearance.
Green admitted his team’s dismal start was “breathless” and said it can be frustrating not getting results when you feel like you’re playing well in parts of your game.
“You bang your head against the wall, you get up the next day and try to pick up your team a bit,” he said on November 18. “From a coaching standpoint, you need to make sure you keep your emotions in check and get the right message across to your group. ”
Green had signed a two-year extension in May after Vancouver finished the 2020-21 campaign last in the North Division.
He was hired in April 2017 to replace Willie Desjardins who was fired when the team missed the playoffs two years in a row.
Under his leadership, Vancouver has seen slow and steady progress, qualifying for the playoffs after posting a 36-27-6 regular-season record in 2020.
A former NHL center himself, Green had said he knew it wouldn’t be easy to keep improving.
He played 14 seasons with the New York Islanders, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. He has 355 points (193 goals, 262 assists) in 970 NHL games.
“Winning does not happen on its own,” he said in January 2021. “You have to push, you have to be prepared, you have to sacrifice yourself, you have to create a culture focused on winning. And I think the Canucks are on the right track for that. And we will continue to push our team in this direction. ”
Bruce Boudreau, 66, previously led the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild.
He won the Jack Adams Trophy for Top Coach in the NHL in 2007-08 while with the Capitals.