Trade Deadline Discussion

[wienerdog]

In before the incoherent RD rant on the trades.

[tantalum]

Kassian is younger than Hodgson .........you do realize that don't you ?

When you read the comments I honestly don't think people do realize that. They are talking about Kassian as if he's been bouncing around the AHL for 4 or 5 years unable to crack an NHL lineup.

He just turned 21 last month. He is in his first pro year and put up near PPG and 40 goal pace in 30 games in the AHL. He's had a 27 game audition at various times in the NHL this season and in a limited role and under 12 minutes of icetime is scoring at a 21 point pace which is pretty damn good. A pace that far exceeds the likes of Weise, Volpatti, Oreo etc etc etc. He is a hell of a prospect that likely can contribute now.

[wienerdog]

Kassian was drafted the year after Hodgson, no?

[nyintensity]

Kassian is younger than Hodgson .........you do realize that don't you ?

When you read the comments I honestly don't think people do realize that. They are talking about Kassian as if he's been bouncing around the AHL for 4 or 5 years unable to crack an NHL lineup.

He just turned 21 last month. He is in his first pro year and put up near PPG and 40 goal pace in 30 games in the AHL. He's had a 27 game audition at various times in the NHL this season and in a limited role and under 12 minutes of icetime is scoring at a 21 point pace which is pretty damn good. A pace that far exceeds the likes of Weise, Volpatti, Oreo etc etc etc. He is a hell of a prospect that likely can contribute now.

You can't put too much weight on how Buffalo's AHL players do - they're perennially good. Kassian's had difficulties adjusting to the NHL game, but he does well on a 3rd or 4th line. He'll grow into a 2nd liner, but he's limited right now. A big reason he's had any ice time in the NHL is because of how hurt Buffalo has been this season (at one point we had 9 players out of or regular lineup).

Not to say he's not going to be good, I just don't want you to think that he's going to come in and make a huge difference right away.

Marc-Andre Gragnani, on the other hand, is going to drive you nuts. He will look amazing one day, and make blind (like, channeling his inner Helen Keller) passes that make you wonder if he ever looks up. He is young though, and perhaps a change of scenery is exactly what he needed.

[surreal78]

As someone before mentioned, Gragnani played for Vigneault in junior. We know how AV likes to coach his ex-players. Lapierre comes to mind as a successful convert to our system.

The other thing of note is Kassian's contract -- 2 more years at $870k. Half of CoHo's salary with an extra year on the deal.

[tantalum]

You can't put too much weight on how Buffalo's AHL players do - they're perennially good. Kassian's had difficulties adjusting to the NHL game, but he does well on a 3rd or 4th line. He'll grow into a 2nd liner, but he's limited right now. A big reason he's had any ice time in the NHL is because of how hurt Buffalo has been this season (at one point we had 9 players out of or regular lineup).

Injuries is how every young player who starts in the AHL gets a call up. I don't expect him to be a second line player this year and I fully expect a young player to have trouble adjusting to the NHL. Hodgson, while having a good season has had all sorts of growing pains. So many that numerous people who are pissed at this deal wanted him in the minors 30 games ago. They are both young players trying to establish themselves in the NHL.

Not to say he's not going to be good, I just don't want you to think that he's going to come in and make a huge difference right away.

I don't think anyone expects that. I expect he will be on the 4th line and if he's having a good game he may get shuffled around a bit. It's what AV does.

Marc-Andre Gragnani, on the other hand, is going to drive you nuts. He will look amazing one day, and make blind (like, channeling his inner Helen Keller) passes that make you wonder if he ever looks up. He is young though, and perhaps a change of scenery is exactly what he needed.

He is young and you have to wonder how much of his trouble is him or the team. If the Sabres don't have forwards coming back and providing the D-men with targets for the outlet pass a D--man can turn it over pretty darn quick and leave you shaking your head. I imagine he'll be insulated in Vancouver and who knows with some different coaching he might begin to thrive. As much as Sabre fans go on about him I expected his advanced stats to be terrible. They aren't. They are quite good. The canucks needed some blueline depth and very few D-men moved today that could provide it for a decent cap hit.

[nyintensity]

You make very good, very valid points. I hope that you're spot on with all of them, and that both our teams are better because of these trades.

[RoyalDude]

Great pick up by the Leafs in getting Carter Ashton, shi-ite I was hoping to get him in some sort of Schneider deal.

[tantalum]

Great pick up by the Leafs in getting Carter Ashton, shi-ite I was hoping to get him in some sort of Schneider deal.

It was a good pickup for Burke but he sent up the white flag on his playoff hopes IMO if his goaltending doesn't make a drastic turn for the better.

Aulie played for Boucher as part of team canada and Boucher likes the kid. He's a big kid but has been slow in developing. Still only 22 year old though or something. A little surprised Yzerman moved Ashton but he clearly has his forward ranks set in his mind for the next few years. Looks less likely that Connolly will be moved now though.

[Strangelove]

HOLY FUCK!!!!

THE HOLIEST!!

[ESQ]

You can't put too much weight on how Buffalo's AHL players do - they're perennially good. Kassian's had difficulties adjusting to the NHL game, but he does well on a 3rd or 4th line. He'll grow into a 2nd liner, but he's limited right now. A big reason he's had any ice time in the NHL is because of how hurt Buffalo has been this season (at one point we had 9 players out of or regular lineup).

I'm looking at the Portland Pirates stats from the last couple years, plus the Rochester Americans stats for this year, and it looks like both teams have AHL vets putting up the big numbers, but not a lot from prospects. A few notable prospects who had big numbers on the Buffalo farm team in recent years are Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe, Luke Adam, Gragnani, and maybe Paul Byron? Except maybe Byron, I'd say the rest have had pretty successful transitions to the NHL.

[cjc]

The thing that gets me is surely we could have got someone less risky for Coho? I thought we were looking for the here and now. Not the "possibly in the next few years." Is Gillis hoping Kassian can contribute right away? At his age and with his history on-ice and off-ice, I wonder how he'll pan out. I never thought Gillis was the type to rush young players. Maybe he'll task one of the veterans to take Kassian under his wing; like Snepsts and Linden.

[Hockey Widow]

The thing that gets me is surely we could have got someone less risky for Coho? I thought we were looking for the here and now. Not the "possibly in the next few years." Is Gillis hoping Kassian can contribute right away? At his age and with his history on-ice and off-ice, I wonder how he'll pan out. I never thought Gillis was the type to rush young players. Maybe he'll task one of the veterans to take Kassian under his wing; like Snepsts and Linden.

A big part of the here and now is Pahlsson. With his addition, Cody became more tradeable for those other parts, which are basically Kassian and MAG.

MG said today that once the decision was made to trade Cody he was not going to trade him for a 30 something player. It had to be for youth coming back. So you know the asking price for Ott was Cody and MG was not going to pull that trigger.

Like most people I think Cody will in all likelihood out score Kassian throughout their respective careers. We know what we gave up. But until we see Kassian and MAG in action over the next 20 playoff prepatory games we can't really judge.

[Per]

The thing that gets me is surely we could have got someone less risky for Coho? I thought we were looking for the here and now. Not the "possibly in the next few years." Is Gillis hoping Kassian can contribute right away? At his age and with his history on-ice and off-ice, I wonder how he'll pan out. I never thought Gillis was the type to rush young players. Maybe he'll task one of the veterans to take Kassian under his wing; like Snepsts and Linden.

A big part of the here and now is Pahlsson. With his addition, Cody became more tradeable for those other parts, which are basically Kassian and MAG.

MG said today that once the decision was made to trade Cody he was not going to trade him for a 30 something player. It had to be for youth coming back. So you know the asking price for Ott was Cody and MG was not going to pull that trigger.

Like most people I think Cody will in all likelihood out score Kassian throughout their respective careers. We know what we gave up. But until we see Kassian and MAG in action over the next 20 playoff prepatory games we can't really judge.

I agree that Cody is a better prospect than Kassian, but Henrik and Kesler will be at the centre of our first two lines for years to come. Thus in Cody we had a great assett that we could not put to proper use. Kassian is a different chess piece altogether, and one that we were missing. I assume that Gillis decided that Kassian was more useful to the Canucks over the next three years than Cody would have been, and which player ends up being better after that remains to be seen.

Kassian addresses the need for bigger and grittier players that the fans have been howling about for years. He's young and can probably be nurtured into becoming a great role player on the team. At first I really questioned this trade, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. I think Gillis has a pretty good idea of what he is doing.

[Reefer2]

Kassian addresses the need for bigger and grittier players that the fans have been howling about for years. He's young and can probably be nurtured into becoming a great role player on the team. At first I really questioned this trade, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. I think Gillis has a pretty good idea of what he is doing.

Again agree with you and what others are saying about Kassian, the deal is not the main issue, it is the timing. This deal IMO does nothing to help the Canucks win the SC this year and that is all that matters.

This deal done in the off season would have been better.