Let's Face It, Kesler Is Better Suited To Be A 3Rd Line Center

[NuxFan09]

you ever stop to think that ryan's assists totals and passes went down because of the proverbial blackhole + pucksucking dyson vacuum he had on his leftwing for much of the 2nd half of the season? - one alberta native named mason raymond.

really not a head scratcher when you look at who kesler had to play with and then factor in his injury and it becomes pretty clear why he struggled.

you also talk about kesler keeping the puck and shooting too much, however if your linemates are not creating offensively and arent jumping into holes and areas to receive passes (or just fall down in the corner) sometimes (a lot of the time) your only option is to funnel the puck to the net.

Obviously Kes did this way too much almost exclusively to all else closing out the year but i think by then his confidence in his game was pretty shot with the way the last 20games had gone.

[Xbox]

Would you rather our 2nd line centre be Ville Leino, Mikhail Grabovski, Matt Stajan, Lecavalier,Kyle Turris, Saku Koivu or wingers because teams dont have Centres???

No

So be grateful

[1nf1n1ty]

Whatever line WE call him doesn't matter.

Aslong as other teams still see him as a threat, they will still put up a checking line against him.

[nuck nit]

I just knew this would come back to the Hodgson trade. How's Hodgson doing playing big minutes on the second line in Buffalo?

It's ridiculous to even compare Kesler and Hodgson. Kesler is better than Hodgson in every facet of the game... speed, skill, grit, defensive and offensive ability.

[Chronic.Canuck]

[nuck nit]

The dreaded double post.

Kes is the best and has to bring his A game back next year as the team relies heavily upon him.

[canuck2379]

So tired of all these threads about our top players suck, need to be moved to a different line, need to be traded etc etc. Yes, it sucks that we're out of the playoffs. Yes, the team's performance the last couple of months was disappointing, aside from the injuries/physicality of the game try just for a minute too look at what happened in the last year that had a mental impact: the massive disappointment of losing in game 7 of the SCF, Malhotra and Raymond both suffered career threatening inuries, Kesler needed hip surgery which he was slow to recover from/came back from too soon, Hamhuis suffered quite a serious injury too (can't remember what it was, and i'm sure there are other I've forgotten), and Rick Rypien's sudden passing last summer.

I know they are paid a lot of money to play the game, but no amount of money can't prevent the mental toll that those kind of events have on a person and at the end of the day, these guys are human beings just like the rest of us.

I'm looking forward to next season, when Kesler, Raymond and Manny are rested and fully fit and the players that arrived over this last season get full pre-season training with the team. I think 2012/13 is going to be awesome!

Wishing that CDC would stop looking back is pretty fruitless I know...but I can dream can't I?

[shazzam]

Kesler needs to try to make his line successful, instead of just trying to make himself successful.

Kesler was relied on this year more defensively since Hodgson was not playing the role of a third line C. He was well protected by AV.

[DollarAndADream]

He had a LITTLE bit of a setback year this year, but it was still a great year for him. He's not a 1st liner, the numbers he puts up are good for the 2nd.

If you watched all the games, he also had plenty of chances to score this year resulting in big saves or missed nets. He could have gotten 30 if he potted them all.

He admitted he had an ailing shoulder injury this season probably resulting from Kronwall's hit. You could tell his shoulder was very much effecting his shot. There's also the fact that this season he came off of a groin injury and surgery.

He came back earlier than everyone expected, which obviously was a bad decision on his part. He's that type of guy though, never wanting to be off the ice.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

He wasn't really 100% this because of his injury. I'm sure he'll rebound next year.

[rawkdrummer]

Third line, not likely.

I wouldn't mind Kes on the first line as a winger with the Sedins, they could use a tougher winger than Burrows.

Trade Lou and whoever to get a 2nd line center who dishes the puck well, then you have Burrows and Booth on a good passer's wings.

[rawkdrummer]

Kes's second year,first full year as a Nuck he had 23 points.Kes's third season as a Canuck he tallied sixteen points.

8.4 and 6.8% Shooting percentage.

Hodson's was 15.5% in his rookie year.Gillis can't take that one away.

Love Kes,but just saying.

[RyanKeslord17]

All I have to say is NO.

Kesler woukd be a first line center on some teams, forget 3rd.

[sockeye]

Maybe, but not on this team and not at $5 million per year. Kes would be a second line centre on most teams in the NHL including the current Canucks roster. He definitely wouldn't be a second line centre in Pittsburgh (he would be in line after Crosby and Malkin).

[George_Costanza]

I would like to nominate this thread for DTOTY (dumb thread of the year).

[whatthenuck]

I dream of a time in a distant future where folks are no longer weeping n' whining n' speculating about what could have been with Coho.

Actually no, it hasn't gotten enough attention. Let's talk about it some more

[DownUndaCanuck]

I would have preferred to see Kesler drop down to a 20 goal, 40 or 50 point player but a great checker (still at 5 million dollars for his PP and PK duties), and have Hodgson take over a very skilled 2nd line with Booth and Higgins for a relatively cheap skilled scoring line. Put Pahlsson on Kesler's wing (still a great defensive player but not great in the faceoff circle lately)

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows

Booth - Hodgson - Higgins

Pahlsson - Kesler - Hansen

Lapierre - Malhotra - Bitz

MG should of used this plan to try and keep Hodgson, because Kesler was much more effective when he was playing defensively. He's a better defensive forward than a scoring forward. Now we have a 20-goal scorer on our 2nd line and our 3rd and 4th lines are centered by guys averaging 10 goals a season, and you want to know why we couldn't score goals in the SCF or this playoffs?

The only way we get out of this hole is if Kesler has a great training camp and gets back to that 70-point pace, because if the Canucks don't have that then they have 1 scoring line (and the Sedins are starting to drop off now too, so look out).

[stexx]

You mean the same Mason Raymond that enjoyed tons of success with him just two seasons ago? So you're going to let Kesler off the hook for having a bad year but Raymond is now a "pucksucking dyson vacuum"? Remember, in 09/10 Raymond equaled Kesler with 25 goals. Perhaps Raymond wouldn't have been so bad if Kesler played more like he did that season. Problem is, you guys have such short memories. Not only did Kesler and Raymond enjoy some success together that year but they actually had some really good chemistry. Raymond has definitely fallen off in recent years but I actually still believe in that duo. It starts with Raymond getting his confidence back and Kesler getting healthy and becoming the player he was the last two seasons before this season.

[nowhereman]

And now I remember why I barely visit CDC anymore...

I'll pray for you.

[AnInconvenienceBrah]

No I believe Kesler is a 30 goal scorer and can put up 60-70 pts. The long offseason is going to do him a lot of good and let him catch up, him and Booth will be training together and will build stronger chemistry. Kesler is a solid 2nd line centre and a board line #1 centre.