VANCOUVER — New general manager Jim Benning says he believes in the Vancouver Canucks' core players and thinks the team can be turned around in a hurry.

Benning was formally introduced as the team's 11th general manager at a noon-hour news conference Friday at Rogers Arena.

He said a search for a new head coach will begin almost immediately and did not sound like he planned to completely overhaul the team's roster.

"I believe in our core players," Benning said. "They're high-character people … We are going to try and help them out by having more depth on our roster and playing four lines. We need to hire the right coach. That will be an important decision for us going forward.

"Some of the players, for whatever reason, just didn't have a good season last year. It's a good team, it's a talented team and I feel confident that these guys are going to have a good year next year."

Benning said he has already compiled a list of head-coaching candidates and hopes to begin interviews next week.

Benning, most recently an assistant general manager with the Boston Bruins, comes to the Canucks with a strong background in player development.

"I started from the ground up," Benning said. "I started as a part-time scout, then I went to a full-time scout, then director of amateur scouting and then director of player personnel to assistant GM. I learned every step of the way. I feel like at this point I am ready. I have a good foundation on what I think it takes to build a winning team. I paid my dues. I was happy every step of the way, but I am grateful for the opportunity today."

Benning is a former NHL defenceman who was drafted sixth overall in 1981 by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He ended his playing career with the Canucks and was a teammate of new president of hockey operations Trevor Linden when Linden broke into the league.

Benning said he wants the Canucks to get back to the style of play that took them to the Stanley Cup Final three years ago.

"We need to get back to what we're good at," Benning said. "This organization needs to play an up-tempo, fast-skating, skilled game. Before last season this team had almost an attitude about them, a relentless attitude to skate and to wear teams down and to score. For whatever reason that didn't happen last year, but I am hoping with Trevor we hire the right coach for this group and we can recapture that going forward."

Benning said the Canucks also need a more physical presence from their bottom two lines.

"I would like to see a little more physicality from the third and fourth lines … playing with a little more grit to take some of the heat off the first two lines. They are the skilled guys and let them play, but when the third and fourth lines play, let's get some offensive zone time and spend some time in the other team's end.