VANCOUVER - He may be able to remake a team, but Jim Benning could use some help from Martha Stewart redecorating a workspace.

Three months into his job as the Vancouver Canucks’ general manager, Benning’s office remains sterile white, largely uncluttered by artwork, pictures and memorabilia.

The last occupant, former GM Mike Gillis, had a big photo of himself and a trophy fish. Brian Burke proudly displayed a portrait from his minor-league playing days: Burke bloodied but stoic. (He was injured in the warm-up).

Benning could show off a photo, too — for instance, holding the Stanley Cup he won three years ago.

“I just cleaned my office up,” Benning said Thursday. “I usually have these sheets spread out all over the office. I like to keep wall space available.”

Benning is an active thinker. He writes down ideas, makes lists, charts. He has a hand-written roster of his team, with age, salaries and contract status noted by the players’ names. Another poster-size sheet displays the traits he believes a Canuck should possess. But Benning’s masterpiece is a positional depth chart that includes every team in the National Hockey League, penned by Benning on feltboard and arranged by team rank. It contains the colour-coded names of more than 700 NHL players and occupies most of the south wall of Benning’s office at Rogers Arena.

It’s like what Michelangelo might have created for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were he a hockey nerd and not a Renaissance genius.

“This is my work space,” Benning explained. “I need to know every player in the league. This is just an example, but if I’m talking to Anaheim and (GM) Bob Murray and I say I want Jakob Silverberg or Kyle Palmieri included in the Kesler trade, and Bob says, ‘I can’t do that or I’ll have no right-wingers,’ I can say: ‘Actually, you still have Corey Perry, Palmieri, (Devante) Smith-Pelley and (Tim) Jackman.’ ”

Benning, of course, traded Kesler to Anaheim on June 27 for centre Nick Bonino, defenceman Luca Sbisa, a first-round draft pick and a swap of third-rounders, which allowed the Canucks to acquire Derek Dorsett from the New York Rangers.

It was the most important day in a titanic draft week in which Benning and team president Trevor Linden profoundly altered the Canuck landscape, making the team younger and deeper. That week began with the hiring of Willie Desjardins as head coach and was followed by free agency and the signing of starting goalie Ryan Miller and offensive winger Radim Vrbata, who will probably play this season with Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

Benning packed a year of change into 10 days. If ever someone needed a summer holiday, it was Benning.

“I put some pressure on myself because I know ... that’s one of those times in the year you can get stuff done,” Benning said. “I understood I had a window. I’m glad we were able to do the things we did because it pushed up the curve for us to have success.