Canucks GM Benning fined for comments on Stamkos, Subban

The NHL has fined the Vancouver Canucks $50,000 for tampering after general manager Jim Benning mentioned specific players the team might be interested in.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) The NHL has fined the Vancouver Canucks $50,000 for tampering after general manager Jim Benning mentioned specific players the team might be interested in.

Benning noted the Canucks' interest in Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban and Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos last week during a radio interview before the NHL draft in Buffalo, New York.

• SI.com Draft Coverage: Day 1 picks and analysis | Day 2 notable picks | Trades

NHL rules bar teams from discussing their interest in players who are under contract. The one exception is during a window of opportunity that opened on Saturday, when all teams are allowed to contact pending free agents, but not allowed to sign them until July 1.

Benning commented two days before that window.