Former National Hockey League defenseman Frank Corrado recently opened up on his exit from the Vancouver Canucks organization just over nine years ago.
Frank Corrado has been a staple at TSN since his retirement from professional hockey, giving his opinions on topics around the league, including from his time as a player in Vancouver, Toronto and Pittsburgh.
In a recent interview with Steve Ewen of The Province, Corrado shared his side of the story of his exit from Vancouver just before the start of the 2015-16 season.
Frank Corrado opens up on exit from the Vancouver Canucks
In October 2015, one day before the Vancouver Canucks were set to kick off the season in Calgary, General Manager Jim Benning made the decision to place 22-year-old defenseman Frank Corrado on waivers.
As was expected, Corrado didn't pass through waivers and was claimed by his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he'd go on to spend parts of the next two seasons with.
Benning was hoping that Corrado was going to sneak through waivers and told reporters back then that he wanted the defenseman to get some more development time down in the American Hockey League.
However the situation of Corrado being placed on waivers could've been avoided quite easily if Benning had put Chris Higgins, who was dealing with a fractured foot, on injured reserve, which would've opened up a spot for the Toronto native on the NHL roster, but ultimately that never happened.
Corrado told Steve Ewen that he knew about the uproar on social media regarding him being placed on waivers and said that he appreciated all the support he got from the Vancouver Canucks fan base.
'I can't hide the fact that I would go on Twitter at the time and see things. I was aware. And of course, I appreciated the support.' Corrado said.He went on to add, 'Right from my first development camp, I felt like the fans in Vancouver were engaged and knowledgeable. I felt they knew me as a player and as a person. I really felt connected to the fans right away.'
Corrado's time in the NHL lasted just 76 games with the Canucks, Maple Leafs and Penguins, along with numerous seasons in the AHL before heading overseas to Sweden and Latvia for the final two years of his career before retiring due to injury in 2021.
Jim Benning made his fair share of mistakes during his time with the Vancouver Canucks, as any NHL General Manager does, but it feels like placing a young, promising defenseman like Frank Corrado on waivers still doesn't sit well with fans.
