Kassian needs to be sent down, for everyone's benefit

[Wyoming Fan]

Using the logic that if Hodgson is so great Buffalo ought to have gotten better post-trade, only begs the question - if Kassian is so great, shouldn't Vancouver have gotten better post-trade?

But really, FYI, no one player is ever gonna make or break a team. Players are pieces of the whole, some with more influence over a particular game's shape than others, but still all merely pieces of the whole.

Also FYI, if AV's decision-making about Kassian's ice time was really about helping the kid to learn better defensive play, AV would be better off not undermining (or outright trashing) the kid's confidence by benching him with every screw up in favour of others who are equally culpable of having screwed up.

For an easy comparison - Hodgson has gone from being a so-called "defensive liability" under AV's coaching, to being a go-to PK guy for the Sabres, leading them in PK points, getting steadily better on the +/- and faceoff %, etc. Kassian under AV still looks lost too frequently and his defensive game arguably sucks as much as it did last year.

So, don't fault Hodgson or Kassian or bash the fans who appreciate what each of these very different players bring to the game - look to how they've been managed so far.... I don't question Kassian's prospects, only how long it's gonna be for him to reach his potential if he's playing under fear of being benched for every screw up.

Every player has to be played to gain the experience needed to play well.