Jim Benning responds after fans call for his firing with signs and chants

Things are getting heated in Vancouver.

The Canucks are mired in a five-game losing streak, one that ultimately has them sitting at 5-10-2 for the season.

Expectations were much higher for this team after Jim Benning traded the Canucks’ first-round pick, No. 9 overall, in last year’s draft to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.

Canucks fans have been told to be patient and trust the plan, but after eight years with Benning at the helm and little success outside of a run in the playoff bubble in 2020, many in Vancouver are calling for the GM’s head.

The Canucks hosted the Colorado Avalanche last night and wound up losing by a score of 4-2.

Among the 18,361 reportedly in attendance at Rogers Arena were fans who brought signs sarcastically saying “Thank You Jim” and others who started “Fire Benning” chants. Front and center was a season ticket holder who wore a custom-made jersey that featured the names of players that Benning either gave up on or players he paid too much to acquire.

Canucks game update … @SadClubCommish @TheStanchion @ThomasDrance pic.twitter.com/rZhs3S5vR8

— Owen Hope (@owenhope) November 18, 2021

The names on the jersey include Olli Juolevi, who the Canucks selected No. 5 overall back in 2016, one spot ahead of Matthew Tkachuk, along with Tyler Toffoli, a 2020 trade deadline acquisition who scored 28 goals in 52 games with the Montreal Canadiens after Vancouver let him walk in free agency.

Benning spoke to media on Thursday in regards to the team’s poor start, stating that the Canucks are a “fragile” team right now.

“This is wearing on all of us, from ownership through the management team to the coaching staff to the players,” Benning said. “We’re a fragile team right now.

“Some of our players need to regain their confidence to play up to their potential. We’re going to need to string a bunch of wins together to get back in it”

Back in March as the Canucks were falling out of the playoff race in the All-Canadian Division, Benning said that he believed the team would be “real competitive” in two years’ time.

When asked if he believed the team is still on that timeline, Benning shifted the focus to how the current team can improve its game.

“I’m not gonna comment on that right now with where we’re at,” Benning said. “We’ve got to just figure out how our penalty kill can be better, how our best players can perform better how we can work through that and be mentally tougher. Those are the issues that we’re dealing with right now.”

The Canucks will host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday and the surging Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. If the Canucks don’t string some wins together, more chants and more signs might start showing up at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.