Zack Kassian ...

[WestCoastJoe]

Cody Hodgson had a rather huge following in Vancouver. Much anguish and upset at his departure.

He is a talented young player. Intelligent. Leadership, as shown at the World juniors, et cetera. Very good offensive player. Not so much on the defensive side. That is a liability as a third line centre. Was he ever likely to move up to #2 or #1 centre with the Canucks? Ummm ... No. At those spots you have a Hart Trophy and a Selke Trophy winners. Forgedaboutit. Ain't gonna happen.

Meantime we acquire a rare commodity. A true power forward. And he can skate. And he can score. Can he fight? Oh yeah. Can he hit? Oh yeah. A team guy? Very much so. Do his former coaches think highly of him? Oh yeah. And he just barely turned 21. Very, very rare commodity.

Personally I am very excited at the arrival of Zack Kassian to the Canucks. If he had been a draft pick for us, rather than a trade for the popular Cody Hodgson I think fans would be going crazy for him. I think they will eventually be doing that anyway.

A trade for needs for both teams. I've got no complaints.

IMO we needed more grit and size vs the Big Bad Bruins in the Finals last year. We ran out of gas when the refs let the chippy stuff go, and our lack of size and toughness through 4 grueling rounds of playoffs left us just one game short of the The Cup.

Here are some Zack Kassian youtube videos. As Mike Gillis said: "There is not much to not like about Zack Kassian."



Ovechkin runs into the standing still Kassian. Ooooops. Ovie goes down. LOL



Kassian hat trick. Goons don't score hat tricks.



Kassian in pregame warmup with the Sabres. BIG. Mobile. Game face on.



Kassian makes a defensive play, breaks through centre ice, and scores a beauty.



TSN panels discussion of the trade.
.............

Best wishes to Cody in Buffalo.

Welcome Zack.

[WestCoastJoe]

Snap shot beats Bryzgalov, past the defenceman, after a defensive play along the boards, and skating very well through centre ice ...

Wow. Wow in the stick. I caught that freeze frame just right. Lucky.

[TheLionKing]

Some hockey pundits are calling him the next Milan Lucic. Waaaay too early to do a comparison. There are alot of players in junior hockey who scares hatricks and numerous highlight goals but couldn't make the jump to the NHL. Remember Doug Wickenheiser and Alexander Daigle ?

[Sir Purrcival]

It is what it is. The got bullied last year in the playoffs and the same thing would have happened this year if no change was made. I hope this kid plays tough. That is what we need right now. I will regret not seeing what Hodgson might have become. I have a feeling that he will become a star in this league sooner than we think.

[D]

Most of the people who are in love with Cody now were calling him a bust 2 tears ago. He is a good player and will likely be captain of a team some day.
But if Kassian performs as advertised he brings the Canucks an element they need. Lets hope both teams do well in this trade

[D]

Hustle and Playmaking
[video][/video]
Goals and Knuckle Chuckin
[video][/video]

[WestCoastJoe]

Great vids, D.

Tempted to make comparisons. Gonna refrain. But I totally endorse the move by Gillis, getting this Kid. Can't believe Buffalo let him go. Such a rare commodity.

Faster than I thought. Better fighter than I thought. Better puck handling and shooting than I thought. Less of a troubled youth than I suspected (not at all in fact). Much better hockey sense than I would have thought.

OK, now the people can say, Hey wait a minute. He's not the next ... Lucic, Bertuzzi, Neely. Who cares? Look at what he brings already. Look at the tape.

Just looking at the tape, listening to interviews, listening to former coaches. He is big. He is fast. He can get to guys and hit. He is willing to hit. He is unafraid. He can fight. He has good hockey sense. He has good skills. He is coachable.

I expect Vancouver is just the right place for him. And that he may well shine here. Brightly. No guarantees of course. But I like what I see so far.

No target of so many goals. No suddenly saying we are favoured for the Cup. Et cetera. But definitely contribution expectations of those things listed above that he already brings.

[notahomer]

I also think its neat when expansion cousins do trades. Sabres certainly started out well winning that first coin flip but Canucks have made the finals three times now.

The Hodgson trade DID NOT make sense when I first heard "the Canucks traded Hodgson" but now I've heard what they got back in return and thought about the kind of opportunity Hodgson would get...the trade makes sense, IMO. Seeing the Sedin's (Daniel, IIRC?) used as a speedbag is all the proof needed this team needs to be tougher. The calls made in November to February are not the calls the Zebras will be making in the playoffs. IMO, the officiating changes from round to round too. Not so much but a hook or a slash in the first round is a lot quicker to be called than a hook/slash in the finals...

Going to be neat to see how Kassian fits in, not just on the team but also in Vancouver. Hope he gets started tonight versus the Blues....

[WestCoastJoe]

Good game for a 21 year old. Very poised.

4 shots

4 hits

11 minutes

Couple of shifts with the Sedins after Burrows killed penalties

No penalties taken

Good hockey sense

Fast and able to position for hits

I would repeat: I think the fans are going to like this kid.

I kind of think he inspired Maxim LaPierre who had 10 hits.

Even Henrik Sedin got aggressive with Perron after the Blues player slue footed Kassian during a stoppage in play. LOL

Man I love the look of that 4th line: LaPierre, Malhotra and Kassian. As the announcers kept saying: "Not sure you can call that a 4th line."

And the announcers keep saying the Canucks are becoming a different team. Yup. Byron Bitz is very much part of that picture too.

And Pahlson ... Gary Valk pointed out all the grinding he did in this game. Constantly pushing on guys, getting his body on them, not necessarily with big collisions, but right there, slowing them down. IMO the Canucks team is changing its attitude right in front of our eyes. Much more physical. This kind of stuff can be contagious ... I would expect Aaron Rome and Andrew Alberts to be even more aggressive also.

And not a shot at Cody Hodgson either. He will do well with the Sabres IMO.

[WestCoastJoe]

New Canuck Kassian scores impressive Vancouver debut

By Jim Jamieson, The ProvinceMarch 1, 2012 11:18 PM

Kassian raised some eyebrows with a couple of big shifts in the first period and racked up a team-leading four shots before the intermission.

But just as impressive was his contribution to the Canucks' fourth line, which, along with Max Lapierre and Manny Malhotra, logged some dominating shifts in the third period after Alex Burrows had given Vancouver a 1-0 lead at 4:17.

In a game that had all the grinding of a playoff matchup, Kassian, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound rookie pro, took turns stapling Blues defencemen into the boards with Lapierre. Kassian finished with four hits, while Lapierre had a whopping 10.

“Manny and Max are great players,” said Kassian, who was named the game's third start. “They've talked to me a lot, they're very vocal, especially Manny. He's really helped me out on the bench with the system. It's slowly starting to build some chemistry. Obviously, I still have some work to do. Hopefully, I can be like a sponge and take stuff in faster.”

Canucks head coach Alain Vignealt loved the contribution of his fourth line, but gushed over what he's seen from Kassian in this first two games.

“I thought they brought a lot of energy, when the opportunity was there to wear down their players, especially their defence,” said Vigneault.

And on Kassian, he added: “He brought exactly what the scouts said he could. he's a player who can skate, see the ice offensively, take pucks to the net, he's got a physical edge to his game and he's a first-year player. He's got a tremendous amount of upside. I'm very happy with what I've seen so far.”

Kassian's four shots stood up as a team high through the game, but the player who scored at a point a game in the American Hockey League earlier this season said he's still fighting off some nerves.

“I wish one of them would have gone in, but there was a lot of nerves,” he said. “I wasn't thinking too much. I just shot it. But it's even nicer to get the win.”

Kassian was also the target of a cheap shot by Blues winger David Perron in the second period, when the St. Louis player slew-footed him from behind. Perron was given a minor for interference on the dangerous play.

“There's no room in the game for that,” said Kassian. “If you do cheap stuff like that you've got to man up and pay the price for it. It's not part of hockey.”

The synergy that Kassian seems to have found so quickly with Lapierre bodes well for the playoffs when physical play will be at a premium.

“It's actually surprising, he's pretty fast,” said Lapierre. “He's huge, a big body and good set of skills and he works hard.

“We knew it was going to be a playoff style game tonight, so we finished our hits. We wanted to bring energy, be good in our zone, be physical and when we get our chance create some offence.”

Kassian, 21, a first round pick (13th overall) in 2009, said he knows there's going to be an adjustment period coming to a new team. The hockey part is the easiest.

“Hockey wise, there's not much difference,” he said. “It's more a matter of getting your life back on track. You're moving into a new place, a new city. I feel good. Everyone has welcomed me with open arms, it seems like we have a great group of guys in here. I'm just going to try to be that small piece to the big puzzle. Everyone here has been great to me and I just want to build on everything each game.”

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Canuc ... z1nwWGXxDh

[WestCoastJoe]

"(Kassian) brought exactly what my scouts said he would. He's a player that can skate, see the ice offensively, take pucks to the net, and he's got a physical edge to his game. He's a first-year player that has got a tremendous amount of upside, a real good skill set, and I'm very happy with what I've seen so far."

Alain Vigneault on Zack Kassian ...

[sj-roc]

Man I love the look of that 4th line: LaPierre, Malhotra and Kassian. As the announcers kept saying: "Not sure you can call that a 4th line."

Is it too early to call them the KLM line?

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Cody ... story.html

Gillis, Vigneault and Hodgson all stick handling around the question: "Did you or your agent or any representatives ask for you to be traded from the Canucks?"

IMO that is the best way to handle it. It does no good to dig out anything that can be construed as negative.

Cody Hodgson is a classy young man, says the right things. Is he a future politician? LOL Yeah, maybe. Good stick handling though.

Best of luck to him in Buffalo.

Question: Did you, your agent, or someone from your camp ask for a trade?


Hodgson: “Like I said to a couple of guys beforehand, I really enjoyed my time here. I got along well with the organization, the staff, the players. It's tough to leave but, at the same time, it's a new home in Buffalo and I'm looking forward to meeting the fans there and getting to know everyone there.”


Question: So did you, or did you not, ask for a trade?


Hodgson: “Like I said, I told many guys beforehand I was as shocked as anybody. I don't want to go back. Even when I played here, the whole time I never went back and thought of re-addressing old issues and that kind of stuff. I just wanted to go and play and that's what I want to do now. I have a new team in Buffalo. They're good guys and, hopefully, things work out.”


Question: Given the history of your back issues two seasons ago, and the supposed bad blood over that, did any type of conversation take place between your side and the Canucks in which you were told, if you wanted a trade, you would have to play well in a Canucks uniform to establish your trade value?


Hodgson: “Like I said, I don't look back at everything that's happened. I'm happy for my time here. I'm really grateful that they drafted me and gave me an opportunity to play. They helped develop me and become the player I am today so I have nothing but good things to say about the organization and what they've done for me.”

He was in tough behind Mr. Hart and Mr. Selke. Waddayagonnado? He deserves a chance to get real playing time, and he will get that chance with Buffalo.

As for parents and agents talking to coaches or management ... No coach or manager wants too much involvement from such people. And that is true whether it is pro sports or little kids.

The way Gillis, Vigneault and Hodgson all dance around the issue, one cannot help but think there is a little bit more than smoke, that the request may well have been made, in so many words. Big deal ... It is a business.

[TheLionKing]

In the 1st head to head meeting Kassian had a goal, an assist and 7 hits in 10 minutes of playing time. Hodgson played 17 minutes with 0 points and 0 hits

[WestCoastJoe]

In the 1st head to head meeting Kassian had a goal, an assist and 7 hits in 10 minutes of playing time. Hodgson played 17 minutes with 0 points and 0 hits

Saw that, TLK.

http://www.theprovince.com/business/fp/ ... story.html

Mason Raymond went into the second intermission having hit the net just once Saturday.

Unfortunately, his shot was off Roberto Luongo's head in his pregame warmup.

Luongo may have shaken it off and been physically fine. He didn't play like it.

Luongo gave up up three goals on five shots in 5:10, crumpling for the first time in a long time.

Mason Raymond is looking totally useless. He beans Luongo in warmup, who goes on to give up 3 goals in five minutes.

Raymond can't play the body. Can't score. Plays dumb. He is like a 15 year old kid playing with men. Dunno what he is doing on the team.

Kassian finally replaces him on the second line.

Head coach Alain Vigneault finally made the move to get Raymond out of the top six, putting him on the fourth line for the third period.

Zack Kassian replaced him and scored a goal late to make it a one-goal game. The Sabres added an empty netter.

I think just about anybody would be better than Raymond at this point. AV gives him too much chances IMO.

Zack continues to look very good. Good hockey sense, something else Raymond is missing.