Accessible, folksy and, generally, a straight shooter – in my experience Jim Benning is always a good conversation, especially if you can catch him when he’s extolling the uniqueness of a particular player’s skill set. Doubly so, when that player is Elias Pettersson.



The recently extended Canucks general manager sat down with The Athletic in his office off Griffiths Way on Wednesday morning to discuss the Canucks’ timeline, the club’s upcoming ‘prospect camp’, the young core and how the club is handling the return of expectations in the Vancouver market, among other issues.



What follows is a slightly condensed version of our conversation.



Let’s start with the return of expectations in this market. There’s some excitement, there’s obviously some skepticism, but overall there’s an understanding that this year isn’t about prospect watching, there are stakes to the games your team will play.