Canucks owner 'optimistic' about extension for GM Benning

The Vancouver Canucks hope to put pen to paper with the man in charge.

Through 16 games this season, the Canucks have an 8-6-2 record and 18 points, good for third place in the Pacific. That performance seems to sit well with owner Francesco Aquilini, and could mean rewarding general manager Jim Benning with a contract extension.

"I'm optimistic we're going to come to an agreement with him," Aquilini told Sportsnet 650, per Ed Willes of The Province.

Following a campaign in which the Canucks finished with the league's second-worst showing - ahead of only the Colorado Avalanche - it's been a year of renewal in Vancouver.

Rookie Brock Boeser leads the team in scoring, while the Canucks are also getting key contributions from offseason additions Thomas Vanek, Michael Del Zotto, and goaltender Anders Nilsson, among others.

As for Benning, who entered the season in the final year of his contract, he remains focused on the task at hand.

"I'm more concerned about trying to change the culture of the group. Since I took the job, we've been trying to rebuild the organization," Benning said. "It's something that doesn't happen overnight. Kids take time."

Benning was named Canucks GM in April 2014, following a seven-year run as assistant GM of the Boston Bruins.

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