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Report: Canucks to name Benning GM this week
Mike Halford May 20, 2014, 10:52 AM EDT

Vancouver’s new general manager search will reportedly come to an end this week.

Boston assistant GM Jim Benning will be named as the Canucks’ new man in charge, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. The news comes more than six weeks after the club dismissed Mike Gillis as GM and hired franchise legend Trevor Linden as team president.

The Benning hire makes sense on a number of fronts. One, he and Linden spent five years playing together in Vancouver and the move would continue in the theme of bringing ex-Canucks into the managerial fold. Two, Benning has the scouting experience and acumen Linden is reportedly seeking in a new GM — prior to joining the Bruins, he had great success as the head of amateur scouting in Buffalo, selecting the likes of Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville, Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad, Daniel Paille and Dennis Wideman.

Per the Bruins website, Benning has assisted GM Peter Chiarelli in a number of areas since taking the post in 2007, advising on player evaluation, trades and free agent signings.

Assuming Benning is released in time for the draft, he’ll have plenty of work to do. Vancouver has almost all of its picks this year, including the sixth overall selection.

Report: Canucks to name Benning GM this week | ProHockeyTalk