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[Article] Kassian has motivation to move from Canucks project to prime-time player

JohnLocke

By JohnLocke
in Canucks Talk

Do you believe Kassian will eventually step into a top six power forward role and excel?   

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elvis15 Canucks Hall-of-Famer

elvis15

Posted
Posted

He absolutely has the tools to be a top 6 forward, it's just a question of what it'll take for him to put it together mentally. He's working hard on any physical limitations already and absolutely has the commitment and attitude to do so.

People expect a lot out of him, and it's just too hard to do so. Blake Wheeler was brought up as an interesting comparison recently in a Canucks Army article, and I think it's a reasonable one. Wheeler took a few years to play in the WCHL with Minnesota before playing in his first NHL season and getting 36 points. He was a year older than Kassian is now and just this year had his breakout at 25, earning 64 points.

Now, they have slightly different playing styles, with Kassian having more grit and Wheeler more skill, but the adage that power forwards take longer to develop holds true. Kassian will quickly become a 30-40 point guy if he gets above the 4th line, and then in a few years we'll see his progression.

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Burnsey Canucks Prospect

Burnsey

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As much as I would hate to see a a lock-out, it could do wonders for Kassian. He has shown at times that he has the potential of being a top 6 guy, just needs to work on a few things and become more consistent and we'll have a solid player. So maybe a lock-out (just until christmas though....I need my Canucks hockey ;) ) would really help him find his potential playing in the minors and getting decent minutes.

As for the people saying he was not worth trading for, well there was a point where many thought Hodgson was a waste of a draft pick. There was a time when Kesler and Burrows were seen as 3rd liner's at best, and the Sedins would never crack the top line. A lot of things can change. Lets not forget this is a guy that only has 44 games under his belt, like all players he needs more time to learn the NHL game and when he does that he can be hugely effective. And just to point out that Hodgson would bee on track for a 11pts (1 more than Kassian) in his first year in the NHL. Don't give up on a kid that has played very little already.

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riffraff Canucks Hall-of-Famer

riffraff

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I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised. Has anyone ever noticed that every guy we bring over has a hard time fitting into this team right away. I think the pressure, the different way the Canucks approach everything, travel, and AV are all hard to deal with. Alberts, Booth, and now Kassian all had trouble from the get go. It is also difficult to come into a team that is high flying and a PT team at the same time.

I also like how Kassian says that Buffalo has great hockey but indicates that Van is a different beast entirely and he is enjoying the challenge and also the atmosphere of being responsible. Honestly, very tough for a 21 year old kid to deal with after being traded from a team out of the playoffs and work on his person at the same time as contributing to a team that had all but wrapped up the Western Conference. Now he has had all summer to get ready, had access to the Canucks training staff and facilities and he probably feels more a part of the organization. Very big deal for a kid.

Lastly, when you look at his conditioning, which is why the Canucks bring in specialists to do this stuff it is encouraging to notice that maybe the Sabres were a little neglectful in his development. They were perfectly happy letting Kassian beef up hoping he'd turn into Lucic (wanted a third or fourth line brawler) when Kassian has more skill and far better skating. In Van no detail is too small to be examined and beaten to death, sometimes for the better.

When he got his few shifts on the first and second I was very excited. Although he didn't produce right away I was far more happy with what I saw potential wise compared to what we usually throw out there. While I understand and now somewhat accept AV's philosopy regarding playing it safe all the time I thought he was very close to being better than any winger we currently have, besides what Burrows is doing with the Sedins. Kid just needs a chance to get some prolonged playing time, maybe one full game so we are giving him a chance to succeed.

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Clonedanielsedin Abbotsford Regular

Clonedanielsedin

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Give your heads a shake Kassian isn't going to be a 40 goal scorer, you gotta be kidding. He'll be a career 40-50 point guy unless hes lucky enough to play with the Sedins. Comparing him to Bertuzzi already is just ridiculous. You guys must be smoking some heavy medical grade stuff.

If hes a 40 point guy thats perfectly fine with me as long as he is fighting and throwing huge hits.

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Tangerines Canucks Regular

Tangerines

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Give your heads a shake Kassian isn't going to be a 40 goal scorer, you gotta be kidding. He'll be a career 40-50 point guy unless hes lucky enough to play with the Sedins. Comparing him to Bertuzzi already is just ridiculous. You guys must be smoking some heavy medical grade stuff.

If hes a 40 point guy thats perfectly fine with me as long as he is fighting and throwing huge hits.

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D-Bo7 Abbotsford Prospect

D-Bo7

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Give your heads a shake Kassian isn't going to be a 40 goal scorer, you gotta be kidding. He'll be a career 40-50 point guy unless hes lucky enough to play with the Sedins. Comparing him to Bertuzzi already is just ridiculous. You guys must be smoking some heavy medical grade stuff.

If hes a 40 point guy thats perfectly fine with me as long as he is fighting and throwing huge hits.

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