VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks have named Jim Benning as their new general manager. Indiana Pacers Shirts . Benning is the first significant hire made by new Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden, who was handed the franchises reins after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in six years following a disastrous 2013-14 campaign. Benning spent the last eight seasons with the Boston Bruins, including seven as the clubs assistant general manager. A former Canucks defenceman during his playing days, the 51-year-old Benning is the 11th general manager in franchise history -- a post he has never held with an NHL club. "Jim brings a wealth of hockey experience as a builder and talent evaluator that will benefit this team for years to come," said Linden in a statement. "We are aligned on how we want to build this team and Jims level of commitment to building a championship team is exciting. I look forward to re-introducing him to Vancouver on Friday." The Edmonton native replaces Mike Gillis, who was fired as Vancouvers president and general manager a day after the club was eliminated from playoff contention with three games left in the regular season. Bennings first order of business with the Canucks will be to hire a new head coach after Linden axed John Tortorella earlier this month following one tumultuous campaign. Benning will also have to prepare for next months NHL draft and assess a roster that Tortorella accused of being "stale" at his end-of-season press conference. Apart from helping to shape a Bruins team that defeated the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup final, Bennings managerial resume also includes 12 seasons with Buffalo Sabres, with eight of those spent as that clubs director of amateur scouting. Selected sixth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1981 NHL draft, Benning played nine seasons with Toronto and Vancouver, collecting 52 goals and 191 assists in 610 career games. Danny Granger Jersey . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution. Myles Turner Jersey . Darren Collison and Blake Griffin scored 23 points apiece and the Clippers beat the Suns 112-108 Wednesday night, their fourth win in a row and 17th in the last 19 games. https://www.cheappacers.com/ . - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money.PHILADELPHIA – Back troubles limited Randy Carlyle in recent weeks, but the Maple Leafs head coach was back on his feet and busy at draft weekend in Philadelphia. Carlyle, alongside team president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Dave Nonis, continued to hunt for the remainders of a coaching staff, following the dismissal of his three assistant coaches – including long-time no. 2 Dave Farrish – in early May. The Leafs plan on hiring two new assistant coaches to support Carlyle, who received a two-year contract extension after Farrish, Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon were fired. Touching down in the state of Pennsylvania with team personnel on Wednesday, Carlyle has been speaking with prospective candidates all week and throughout the early stages of summer. "We have a criteria," he said of the interview process, minutes before Fridays draft was to begin. "We sat down and we created a few boxes that we felt we needed to fill. "And its typical where youre in an interview process you look for peoples strengths and the experience is always a factor – where theyve worked before or who theyve worked with; have they ever been a head coach before; what programs have they run; what were their jobs with their previous employer; did they run power-play or penalty killing units. Those are the kind of things that typically go into an interview process." Though he managed to hold onto his job, significant alterations to his coaching staff were deemed necessary after a season that rapidly deteriorated into another playoff-less season. Absent answers to the wreckage amid the unraveling, Carlyle has finally digested what took place and is looking to turn the page. But he remains of the view that "compete" was the downfall of a club that tumbled out of a certain playoff position in the final weeks. "We didnt comppete enough in the situations that we were presented with and consistently enough," said Carlyle, noticeably relaxed after a stressful season. Pacers Jerseys China. . Change is coming, he understands, and not just to the coaching staff. With a glut of unrestricted free agents – many of whom wont return – and multiple pieces to adjust and rearrange, the Leafs will resemble a different team in the fall. Just how different remains unclear, but it appears that youth should be part of the agenda with Morgan Rielly, Peter Holland, Carter Ashton, Jerry DAmigo, Petter Granberg, Josh Leivo among others in line to either garner more opportunity or earn NHL jobs. "Theyre going to be given more of an opportunity," Carlyle said. "Thats our plan. Our teams not going to be the same coming back. Its as simple as that. With the amount of unrestricted free agents that we have and the make-up of our group we know that some of those players wont be back with our hockey club." A favourite of Carlyle, in spite of his brief Toronto experience, Dave Bolland could be among them. The Leafs have engaged in a back and forth with the Bolland camp – fronted by agent Anton Thun – but have yet to find agreeable terms ahead of July 1st."Its not that were not speaking to each other," Nonis said Thursday, "its at this point we havent been able to find common ground for a deal." Bolland is one among many potential changes for the Leafs, who are also likely to shuffle their bottom-six forward group (with a glut of unrestricted free agents), defence, and backup goaltending position. Adjustment to the core group, following the second regular season collapse in three years, is also a distinct possibility. All of which means a busy offseason ahead for Carlyle and the Toronto management team. ' ' '