Too Early to call Kassian a dissapointment?

[Drop Em]

Not sure what you base that claim on, but Kassian is hardly a 'liability' and his underlying numbers consistently reflect that - Booth even moreso - he may not produce (offensively) as expected but defensive liability doesn't begin to define him - and Schroeder development has specifically focused on making him a responsible young center, and by all accounts, including his time and usage in Vancouver, would indicate anything but being a 'liability'.

I am going to guess that Plogue was suggesting that a pair of big, physical wingers with upside who have excellent speed and are actually defensively responsible on the wing for a very creative, fast, and dynamic (albeit slightly smaller) center could make for a difficult matchup for opposition's depth lines and third pairings.

old news.......Ok, sorry for just cutting and pasting your reply but my reply with quote thing isn't working and I'm not sure why.

But I base my claim on a few things, not the least of which is my eyes. Kassian is probably my favorite Canuck but he is not a good or an even average defensive player.....yet. Why do you think that he mentions it in almost every one of his interviews since he's been here? That he has to work on and keep working on his defensive side of the game? He's not mentioning it because he's already good at it, he's mentioning it because that's the weakest part of his game, that and his physical consistency. He is quite often out of position in his own zone. He's gotten better but he's still not where the coach trusts him to be out there when the games on the line.

As for Booth, he's never been known as a good or even an average defensive player and this dates back to his days in Florida. When was the last time that you seen him out there at the end of a game protecting a lead or checking the other teams top players? Even when his fragile body is healthy enough to be out there if he could stay in the lineup.

And Schroeder? I think that if the Canucks trusted him enough to be their 3rd or 4th line centre, which is a defensive role, then they wouldn't have signed Richardson or even Santorelli. You don't see many borderline midget centres in the NHL who are great defensively, especially rookies or young players. And part of being a good defensive player as a centre is being able to win draws and Schroeder is a liability in the face off circle too. And just because the Canucks are grooming him to be a solid all around centre, doesn't mean that he's there yet. In time he could and should improve but right now to put him with Kassian and Booth would be a defensive mess.

[Drop Em]

PROGUE, since when is Booth a hulking winger? He's only 6'0 and 215lbs. That's only average. He's shorter than the average but heavier. I understand what you're saying though. But I don't think that putting two of the Canucks most inconsistent players alongside a totally unproven rookie centre is a recipe for success........and like I said, defensively it's a little scary.

[cabinessence]

PROGUE, since when is Booth a hulking winger? He's only 6'0 and 215lbs. That's only average. He's shorter than the average but heavier. I understand what you're saying though. But I don't think that putting two of the Canucks most inconsistent players alongside a totally unproven rookie centre is a recipe for success........and like I said, defensively it's a little scary.

That's right because Lou Ferrigno was 6-4" (the Hulk).