The Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday announced the hiring of Jim Benning as their general manager. He replaces Mike Gillis, who was let go last month after the Canucks were eliminated from contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Canucks president Trevor Linden delivered the news to season-ticket members attending a Canucks Town Hall Meeting in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
Benning, 51, who had been assistant general manager of the Boston Bruins, will be introduced Friday in a press conference at Rogers Arena as the 11th general manager in Canucks history. He joined the Bruins as director of player personnel in 2006 after 12 years with the Buffalo Sabres organization.
"There were moments of clarity for me in speaking with Jim that we just really connected on a hockey level," Linden told the Canucks website. "Our beliefs on how success is built in the National Hockey League were very aligned."
The Canucks finished 12th in the Western Conference with a record of 36-35-11. Linden was named president in early April, and the Canucks fired coach John Tortorella on May 1.
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