Too Early to call Kassian a dissapointment?

[Canuck Surfer]

Trades are made to address a need. Buffalo needed a center and wanted a younger player ready to step in. We were looking to get bigger and younger. Exactly what Buffalo was willing to move to get their center. Neither was traded because the team had given up on them or they weren't performing. They were traded because both teams had better options for the same role ahead of these two at the time of the trade. Players are simply tradeable assets.

I fully expected Hodgson to be moved in the off-season. With Henrik and Kes ahead of him he was time limited as third line center. The move came sooner because exactly what Gillis was looking for became available at the trade deadline. Buffalo wasn't going to wait because they were still in the playoff hunt and needed a center for the push.

Good trades fill a need sure. But they don't leave a void where the intended need does not get filled for 2 years because the acquisition was not ready.

Or create another need. What have been the headlines the last 2 years? "Canucks need a 3rd line center." "Canucks need secondary scoring." How much did we pay to acquire Pahlsson and Roy (who did not work out), and Horvat...

This was an unbalanced trade which created holes in our line up.

We should have waited for the off season.

[SofaKing]

I have seen nothing from Kassian to indicate that he will be anything more than a decent 3rd liner if he puts all his assets together.

I don't cant see how anyone expects this guy to be a Todd Bertuzzi like player, ever. He cant skate, doesnt have a great shot, doesnt have great playmaking skills.

Ive heard he's shown 'flashes of brilliance' since becoming a Canuck. Can someone link me these 'flashes' or post a youtube video, cause I havent seen any flashes of brilliance from Kassian.

Ok you don't like power forwards. Go watch your jan bulus' then.

I'll take another Kassian if we could find one... Last time I checked every Stanley Cup winning team has at least 1 or 2 Kassian type of player. (Penner, D.King, Byfuglien, Bickell, Lucic, etc. etc.) Without the 6'3 220+lb'rs you ain't going anywhere in the PLAYOFFS. You can have all the Hansens, Pahlssons, Bulus, Roy, Raymonds, etc, etc., I'll take KASSIAN..

PS. I think S.Kariya or Rodin, P.White, Shinkarov, etc may have a you tube video of moves you're looking for.....

[UFCanuck]

Good trades fill a need sure. But they don't leave a void where the intended need does not get filled for 2 years because the acquisition was not ready.

Or create another need. What have been the headlines the last 2 years? "Canucks need a 3rd line center." "Canucks need secondary scoring." How much did we pay to acquire Pahlsson and Roy (who did not work out), and Horvat...

This was an unbalanced trade which created holes in our line up.

We should have waited for the off season.

Kesler is the engine of the team. Kesler has been hampered by injuries for the past two seasons, Hodgson wouldn't have even come close to filling that void on the team.

Hodgson played the easiest minutes because AV had zero trust in his defense and in order to inflate his statistics.

All we needed was a Healthy Kesler.

[nuck nit]

And to make matters worse management knew Kesler required surgery when Hodgson was moved.

Sulzer,Hodgson,Gragnani,Pahlsson,two-fourth rounders,Roy,Connauton,a second rounder -now that is effective management.

Sofa King,you forgot to check out the playoff stats of Kassian but you don't have to research ZERO.

You take Kassian parked on the bench.Give me a play maker that can score.

[SamJamIam]

And to make matters worse management knew Kesler required surgery when Hodgson was moved.

Sulzer,Hodgson,Gragnani,Pahlsson,two-fourth rounders,Roy,Connauton,a second rounder -now that is effective management.

Sofa King,you forgot to check out the playoff stats of Kassian but you don't have to research ZERO.

You take Kassian parked on the bench.Give me a play maker that can score.

Wow. We could never do without those

[nuck nit]

Go away nuck twit. Surely you have homework from the Sylvan learning centre to complete.

Denigrating others without adding any substance to the facts seems to be what you do best.

I am hoping the moderators consider your consistent history of personal attacks and do away with your bully act in 2014. Been a year of your BS. Maybe next year.

[L. Stanley]

So Hodgson only plays hard in contract years and when his team is good.

Thank god he's gone.

it does kinda look like that.

[L. Stanley]

Santorelli brings an element the Canucks sorely need. No debate.

Doesn't mean the Canucks have replaced Hodgsons puck possession and passing skills. The team is still looking for a secondary play maker. Its the coaches job to get guys to play within roles that help the team.

The real issue is neither Cody or Kassian plays the game as hard as they should. So how we compliment either of them is sort of a dumb conversation. If either played the game as hard as they should, and for their team, neither would have been traded. Both need a kick in the arse!

its called hunger.

[Canuck Surfer]

Kesler is the engine of the team. Kesler has been hampered by injuries for the past two seasons, Hodgson wouldn't have even come close to filling that void on the team.

Hodgson played the easiest minutes because AV had zero trust in his defense and in order to inflate his statistics.

All we needed was a Healthy Kesler.

All Kesler does is restore us to being competitive. Hey thats not insignificant, and yup; the motor that gets us going!

Erhoff, and Hodgson after him got other elements going. Secondary scoring, the PP... Kassian hopefully can as well with intimidating physical play and wreaking havoc in front of the net, chipping in some goals. He does occasionally. The bottom line is we will need some form of dynamic presence behind Kesler and the Twins to go from being competitive to a contender again.

We were dead in the water without a healthy Kesler, but we need more to be champions.

[dragon4401]

We all want Kassian to be this snarly Lucic type power forward but the reality is that if he continues to play in Vancouver, this will not happen with the culture of this team. Kassian doesn't really have anyone like that to learn from. Lucic learned from Chara, Bertuzzi learned from Messier. The Canucks need to bring in someone Kassian can learn from. When the snarliest players in the dressing room are Bieksa and Kesler...Kassian needs a different role model.

FINALLY!!! Somebody gets it... We need a Bertuzzi/Iginla/Jager type player to help Kass develop into the ace we need him to be...Lucic on Boston had no shortage of powerforwards to learn from

And as for the Kass/CoHo comparison...If expect Kass to match his points then better expext CoHo to match hits/fights

[dragon4401]

And to make matters worse management knew Kesler required surgery when Hodgson was moved.

Sulzer,Hodgson,Gragnani,Pahlsson,two-fourth rounders,Roy,Connauton,a second rounder -now that is effective management.

Sofa King,you forgot to check out the playoff stats of Kassian but you don't have to research ZERO.

You take Kassian parked on the bench.Give me a play maker that can score.

Chicago needed Bickell with Toews and Kane to help protect them from Boston and it worked very well...So you take CoHo and I will take Kassian to play with the twins

[alt kilgore]

Ok you don't like power forwards. Go watch your jan bulus' then.

I'll take another Kassian if we could find one... Last time I checked every Stanley Cup winning team has at least 1 or 2 Kassian type of player. (Penner, D.King, Byfuglien, Bickell, Lucic, etc. etc.) Without the 6'3 220+lb'rs you ain't going anywhere in the PLAYOFFS. You can have all the Hansens, Pahlssons, Bulus, Roy, Raymonds, etc, etc., I'll take KASSIAN..

PS. I think S.Kariya or Rodin, P.White, Shinkarov, etc may have a you tube video of moves you're looking for.....

Tell me you are not comparing Kassian to Penner, Byfuglien, Bickell, and Lucic. If it was only size that mattered Sestito would fill that void. Not saying Kassian won't eventually mature both on and off the ice and be a solid contributor, perhaps as good as Bickell, but he's got a long ways to go.

Kesler is the engine of the team. Kesler has been hampered by injuries for the past two seasons, Hodgson wouldn't have even come close to filling that void on the team.

Hodgson played the easiest minutes because AV had zero trust in his defense and in order to inflate his statistics.

All we needed was a Healthy Kesler.

But we didn't HAVE a healthy Kesler at the time of that trade. That's the point. And the team was already taking criticism from the year before about lack of secondary scoring. So we trade away our 3rd leading goal scorer right on the doorstep of the playoffs of that year. Brilliant........not. Hodgson did not have to be another Kesler, he just needed to continue what he was doing, that is when AV let him actually play. He was the leading rookie scorer that year, per minutes played. Do you honestly think Cody would have pouted and refuse to either play the third line center or if AV had had the cohones, played second line center with Kess on the wing?....on a President's Cup winning team, and a favorite heading into the playoffs?

I think most are fine with the trade on paper, its the timing of the trade that sucked. We got back a 3 to 5 year project with our window shutting and a desperate need for scoring heading into April.

[WillyFox]

Meh a bust

[L. Stanley]

Tell me you are not comparing Kassian to Penner, Byfuglien, Bickell, and Lucic. If it was only size that mattered Sestito would fill that void. Not saying Kassian won't eventually mature both on and off the ice and be a solid contributor, perhaps as good as Bickell, but he's got a long ways to go.

But we didn't HAVE a healthy Kesler at the time of that trade. That's the point. And the team was already taking criticism from the year before about lack of secondary scoring. So we trade away our 3rd leading goal scorer right on the doorstep of the playoffs of that year. Brilliant........not. Hodgson did not have to be another Kesler, he just needed to continue what he was doing, that is when AV let him actually play. He was the leading rookie scorer that year, per minutes played. Do you honestly think Cody would have pouted and refuse to either play the third line center or if AV had had the cohones, played second line center with Kess on the wing?....on a President's Cup winning team, and a favorite heading into the playoffs?

I think most are fine with the trade on paper, its the timing of the trade that sucked. We got back a 3 to 5 year project with our window shutting and a desperate need for scoring heading into April.

my thoughts exactly.

[nuck nit]

Chicago needed Bickell with Toews and Kane to help protect them from Boston and it worked very well...So you take CoHo and I will take Kassian to play with the twins

I prefer a goal scorer,not any particular player.

Kassian sat in the press box in his first playoffs here.

He logged fourth line minutes in his second playoffs here.

Bickell and Kassian - I understand the desire to have a big body that can score.

Bickell has been a consistent regular season and especially playoff performer,net presence and goal scorer.

Nine goals and eighteen assists in last years playoffs.

24 points in 38 playoff games.

[nuck nit]

So Hodgson only plays hard in contract years and when his team is good.

Thank god he's gone.

Despite your apparent yuletide glee ,he has been injured:

Sabres center Cody Hodgson left the game with 5:40 to play in the first period and did not return. He sustained an upper-body injury while blocking a shot on his final shift. Nolan said he could be out “a little while” but was awaiting an update from team doctors.

[dragon4401]

I prefer a goal scorer,not any particular player.

Kassian sat in the press box/bench in his first playoffs here.

He logged fourth line minutes in his second playoffs here.

Bickell and Kassian - not such an even comparison,but I understand the desire to have a big body that can score.

Kassian has yet to do that in one playoff game.

Kassian-7 goals 2 assists -4 33 games TOI/G 11:40

CoHo-8 goals 11 assists -10 33 games TOI/G 18:27

There is not a big difference in points between the 2 based on the min difference and also how has Cody done in the playoffs since?0 games playing that key top min he wanted

[ice orca]

What..like you denigrating Gillis or anybody he brings to the Canucks including players and coatches.

[coryberg]

And to make matters worse management knew Kesler required surgery when Hodgson was moved.

Sulzer,Hodgson,Gragnani,Pahlsson,two-fourth rounders,Roy,Connauton,a second rounder -now that is effective management.

-Those 3 names are irrelevant,they were brought in as rentals and we either didn't have the cap room to re-sign them or didn't want to.

-Sulzer and connauton wouldn't make this teams top 8. stop crying.

-the chances of 4th round picks making it are somewhere around 12%

-the second might end up stinging a bit but MG had to improve the team and that was a good gamble compared to what jagr,Igninla,Boumeester got.

Sofa King,you forgot to check out the playoff stats of Kassian but you don't have to research ZERO.

You take Kassian parked on the bench.Give me a play maker that can score.

C0ho played 12 playoff games 8 months before the trade... he was useless (1 assist in 12 games). At least Kassian could bang and crash.

Tell me you are not comparing Kassian to Penner

Well if you went by Penners 2.5 seasons as a king compared to Kassians 2.5 seasons its pretty close...

Penner had 117 games 11 goals 37 points 63 PIM

Kass had 116 games 18 goals 30 points 149 PIM

Truth of the matter is Penner isn't a good comparison, he is slower and doesn't hit or fight very much at all. he uses his big immovable body and linemates a lot like a poor mans Joe Thornton. Put him on the 3rd or 4th line and he puts up worse numbers than kass.

[SamJamIam]

Denigrating others without adding any substance to the facts seems to be what you do best.

I am hoping the moderators consider your consistent history of personal attacks and do away with your bully act in 2014. Been a year of your BS. Maybe next year.

If the mods did their job, you wouldn't be here. Don't count on it.