Benning on their free agents
Rick Dhaliwal: Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning on contract talks with UFA Alex Edler: “We are going to keep talking with Edler’s agent. Sometimes the different sides have different things they are trying to accomplish. We have not found common ground yet. We want Alex back and will try and figure it out.”
Rick Dhaliwal: Benning on Sportsnet 650 said they are talking with defenseman Luke Schenn‘s camp and they’d like to bring him back.
Rick Dhaliwal: Benning on the reports that contract talks with Brock Boeser are far apart: “Those reports are unfounded and not true. I don’t know where that came from, we are in constant with his group. Contract talks have gone in the right direction, we want to get him signed.”
Benning on Eriksson and Tryamkin
Rick Dhaliwal: Benning on the comments made by Loui Eriksson that criticized head coach Travis Green: “I am going to talk with Loui maybe this week and ask him about what he said and where he was going with those comments and I think Travis will want to as well.”
Rick Dhaliwal: Benning on Nikita Tryamkin and if there is a future with the Canucks: “There sure is, I met his agent last week. We would love to have him back, look at the size and strength of the Blues blueline. He can be a big part of our group. We will keep talking to his agent.”
Benning on Zaitsev rumors
Rick Dhaliwal: Benning on the trade rumor involving Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev: “Lots of conversations going on right now, we will consider all of our options. I am not going to comment on any specifics but we are looking at all of our options.”
Cost to move up in the draft may be too high and not worth it
Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: GM Jim Benning is “super excited” about the Canucks drafting at No. 10.
Options at No. 10 could be defensemen Victor Soderstrom and Philip Broberg and forwards Matthew Boldy, Trevor Zegras and Peyton Krebs.
The cost to move up in the draft likely isn’t worth it.
“If we have to (in addition to the 10th pick) give up a second-round pick, that’s too much because we feel the draft is deep enough,” added Benning. “And you just don’t know how the draft is going to fall. We could have a player rated in the top six falling to us at 10.”