Canucks News and Notes

[Strangelove]

Obviously it is Hamhuis that will be missed.

Agreed... obvious.

As a matter of fact pretty much everyone was saying at the start of the season that a top-4 injury would be deadly.

So here we are.

[Arachnid]

Shouldn't you be out on a ledge somewhere?

Best view from here. Not clouded by imaginary deities when it comes to NHL franchises

[5thhorseman]

On the radio I heard 2 weeks for Kassian. Then again, they said it was from blocking a shot.

[BladesofSteel]

Kassian has been underwhelming this season. His absence will hardly be felt. That said, I expect Jenson up with the team before the end of the road trip.

More injuries are inevitable.

Those 2 PM EST games are always a recipe for disaster.

[Strangelove]

I was at the game against New Jersey.

I was sitting blue line-ish at the end the Canucks shoot on for two periods about 15th row..

OMG now he's STALKING Panic Attack!!!

But seriously, thanks for the info, gotta be a broken pinky...

[Cookie La Rue]

Kassian could ask his captain and thinking of cutting the finger (just if it's really the pinky)...

Would be also nice to wear it as a necklace.

(Sorry for being so rude, that's my sense of humor. )

[Boston Canucker]

Kassian has been underwhelming this season. His absence will hardly be felt. That said, I expect Jenson up with the team before the end of the road trip.

More injuries are inevitable.

Those 2 PM EST games are always a recipe for disaster.

Yes, for all the guys that have looked good, even surprising, to start of the season, Kassian is one that sticks out as someone who seems to play the exact same way - noticeable at times, not noticeable quite often. I have a sense he is not long for this team (not this year, but maybe next summer) as I don't think he is a Willie D guy. Kassian seems like a dope, not smart hockey sense, and thus can't seem to get the most out of his skills. When you see how smart, mature a 19 yr old Horvat is compared to lunkhead Kassian at 23, it just seems that the young guys who know how to play the game and bring it every night will step over Kass in the depth chart. I wish it wasn't the case, because he has the physical tools, but even under a coach who can live with his mistakes if he learns from them ZK looks like the same guy from the last two years, no clear improvement.

[Island Nucklehead]

Kassian has been underwhelming this season. His absence will hardly be felt. That said, I expect Jenson up with the team before the end of the road trip.

More injuries are inevitable.

Those 2 PM EST games are always a recipe for disaster.

Yes, for all the guys that have looked good, even surprising, to start of the season, Kassian is one that sticks out as someone who seems to play the exact same way - noticeable at times, not noticeable quite often. I have a sense he is not long for this team (not this year, but maybe next summer) as I don't think he is a Willie D guy. Kassian seems like a dope, not smart hockey sense, and thus can't seem to get the most out of his skills. When you see how smart, mature a 19 yr old Horvat is compared to lunkhead Kassian at 23, it just seems that the young guys who know how to play the game and bring it every night will step over Kass in the depth chart. I wish it wasn't the case, because he has the physical tools, but even under a coach who can live with his mistakes if he learns from them ZK looks like the same guy from the last two years, no clear improvement.

The guy has been battling injuries quite a bit this season. Banged up at camp, banged up in early November, took that high hit from Ference, and now this. Given his style, I imagine playing with bumps and bruises is even more painful than it would be for someone who avoids contact.

If he was getting any kind of offensive looks I could understand why people would be disappointed. But he's not. He's playing with arguably the two least-offensively capable players (regulars) on the team in Matthias and Richardson. He gets less PP time than Hansen. Playing just 12 mins/night, he ranks 11th on the Forwards in TOI/GP. I guess I really don't understand what people are expecting from this guy. He's been put into a depth role, and from what I can tell, he's playing it adequately.

[dangler]

Kassian has seemed to be a magnet for cheap shots and physical abuse this season. Not getting the calls either.
I think his play has been fine,he's made some nice plays in the offensive zone and i'm sure the pucks will start going in eventually. It seems like the mistakes are fewer this year as well.

[Chef Boi RD]

First and foremost I'm a fan of Kassian but the kids play is too in inconsistent to be rewarded special minutes. He's good where he's at now, in fact Matthias and Richardsons play is best suited for Kassian. Zack can't play the thinking mans game, he's got a lazy brain. His IQ isn't the greatest

[Island Nucklehead]

First and foremost I'm a fan of Kassian but the kids play is too in inconsistent to be rewarded special minutes. He's good where he's at now, in fact Matthias and Richardsons play is best suited for Kassian. Zack can't play the thinking mans game, he's got a lazy brain. His IQ isn't the greatest

For sure, there's still lots of development that needs to happen. Kassian needs to make better reads and work on his positional play, but he's got offensive instincts and natural ability that are rare for a big man. I'm not advocating gifting him ice-time, but if people are looking for a 20-goal season out of this guy without any PP time and playing 12 mins/night with a line whose primary obvjective is simply to keep it in the opposing zone, they're bound to be disapointed.

He's only 6 months older than Linden Vey, so we need to understand that this is a still-developing player.

[donlever]

Kassian is still very raw material as Island and others intimate.

There is some sort of diamond in there, we are just unaware of the cut, carat, clarity or color at this time.

Patience with this kid is the word of the day.

He can skate, pass, shoot, hit, fight some.

We'll see if the head meets in the middle somewhere with more coaching and experience.

[herb]

Not sure what's been up with Kassian, but he sure hasn't stood out much at all this season. By now I would have expected a few games with dominant performances, like we have seen in the past. He has been one of the few disappointments in a season that's so far been filled with pleasant surprises, although at least we haven't seen those discipline issues rear their ugly heads (yet).

He's taken a couple of questionable hits this season, and now the "finger thing". Some adversity for the guy might be a good thing.

Right now he's an effective bottom six winger, and that's OK. Last year, he put up 29 points (28 were 5 on 5) which is really good for a guy who gets 3rd line minutes and very little in the way of PP time.

Part of the problem with Kassian is perception. He was traded for a guy whose stock was really high in Vancouver at the time. Since then, Kassian has been battling the lofty expectations that came with the trade, when really he should be evaluated as a good young player who has warts in his game.

[Arachnid]

Not sure what's been up with Kassian, but he sure hasn't stood out much at all this season. By now I would have expected a few games with dominant performances, like we have seen in the past. He has been one of the few disappointments in a season that's so far been filled with pleasant surprises, although at least we haven't seen those discipline issues rear their ugly heads (yet).

He's taken a couple of questionable hits this season, and now the "finger thing". Some adversity for the guy might be a good thing.

Right now he's an effective bottom six winger, and that's OK. Last year, he put up 29 points (28 were 5 on 5) which is really good for a guy who gets 3rd line minutes and very little in the way of PP time.

Part of the problem with Kassian is perception. He was traded for a guy whose stock was really high in Vancouver at the time. Since then, Kassian has been battling the lofty expectations that came with the trade, when really he should be evaluated as a good young player who has warts in his game.

Um, excuse me....have you seen CoHos stats?

We got a better deal at this point. Who woulda predicted dat dere? (Cody's Dad?! )

[Island Nucklehead]

Part of the problem with Kassian is perception. He was traded for a guy whose stock was really high in Vancouver at the time. Since then, Kassian has been battling the lofty expectations that came with the trade, when really he should be evaluated as a good young player who has warts in his game.

Um, excuse me....have you seen CoHos stats?

We got a better deal at this point. Who woulda predicted dat dere? (Cody's Dad?! )

Yeah... if you were to poll which fanbase is more disapointed with their player, you'd have to think it's Buffalo. They were expecting a top-line Centre and got an AHL all-star. The Canucks were expecting a power-forward project, and while the stats aren't there, he hasn't been nearly as underwhelming as Hodgson.