from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

With Willie Desjardins poised to become the Canucks next head coach, it’s time to step back and look at the first two and a half months of Trevor Linden’s administration.

Linden now has his coach and GM in place and both men are the polar opposites of their predecessors.

Desjardins is a no-BS career coach. Unlike John Tortorella, his press conferences won’t be appointment viewing.

New GM Jim Benning is a career scout who spent 20 years learning his craft. Like Desjardins, he is low-key and hard-working. Like Desjardins, he isn’t exactly a quote machine.

But this is what you like about the Canucks’ new hockey department. The men involved aren’t interested in reinventing the wheel. They are, however, interested in building an organization that encompasses the game’s core principles.

All three are from Western Canada. All view the game the same way. And the Canucks will reflect their philosophy.

There might have been sexier hires out there than Benning and Desjardins, but we’ve seen where sexy got the Canucks.

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