Canucks get Zack Kassian

[ESQ]

He can't skate to save himself and his AHL output is nothing to drool over - in fact not appreciably better than Beach's 1st year in the A.

Haven't heard that his skating is an issue, but I've only seen the highlights.

But FYI: Kyle Beach had 16 g 20a 36 p in 71 gp in the AHL last year. Kassian has 15g 11a 26 p in 30 games played. Those numbers are enormously better than Beach's. Also, Hodgson's rookie AHL numbers were 17g 13 a 30 pts in 50 games played.

But seriously, Hodgson straight up for a proven top-9 winger and a mid- to late-round draft pick would be understandable.

You would do that? When you say "proven top 9", that sounds like "career 3rd liner". I wouldn't trade Hodgson for a 3rd line winger and a mid- to late-pick. Kassian has a lot of offensive upside, which would be an absolute requirement in my book for a Hodgson deal.

[Blob Mckenzie]

That's what good GM's do. If they don't do that, OMGTHEYSUCK!!!!

I think potentially it's a win win for both teams. The Sabres get a skilled high end centre who would have trouble playing on the top two lines for the next 4 or 5 years. Vancouver hopefully gets a tough, mean forward who is big and can chip in 15 - 20 goals in the near future.

Gragnani is a wild card here . Everything I have heard suggests he is poor defensively and soft, but then again I heard the same criticisms of Christian Ehrhoff too.

[old calamari]

as long as kassian causes loose bowel syndrom in all the rats like bolland and doughty out here in the west in the playoffs he does more than hodgson would have done. when the reffs put away their whistles we all know what happend last year. be no more bitch slappin the twins . shit just look what happened so far this year when bitz is on the ice in the games that he has played. kassian is something the canucks have missed since bert left. he will develop twice as fast here as he would have in buffalo.

[nyintensity]

Everything I have heard suggests he is poor defensively and soft, but then again I heard the same criticisms of Christian Ehrhoff too.

Funny...that's pretty much all we've seen from Christian Ehrhoff this year.

[Diehard1]

For those who say Kassian can't skate - you're wrong. He's not David Booth but he's decent and has a good top speed. He's also very young and will get better.

I watched him play a number of times in the O and he's as mean as they come - which is probably needed on this team. He's also huge and has good hands. These guys don't grow on trees.

He'll be a 30 point guy right off the bat, and has a chance to become something much better. He should make this team tougher to play against this playoffs, especially once you consider Pahlsson will be in the lineup as well. Gillis has built this team for the playoffs, not for the regular season.

[Diehard1]

That's what good GM's do. If they don't do that, OMGTHEYSUCK!!!!

I think potentially it's a win win for both teams. The Sabres get a skilled high end centre who would have trouble playing on the top two lines for the next 4 or 5 years. Vancouver hopefully gets a tough, mean forward who is big and can chip in 15 - 20 goals in the near future.

Gragnani is a wild card here . Everything I have heard suggests he is poor defensively and soft, but then again I heard the same criticisms of Christian Ehrhoff too.

Gragnani is Buffalo's Mason Raymond - every little problem becomes magnified. He's happy to be out of there and I can see why. I think he's got very good potential and he's got some really good coaches and mentors to learn to play D here in Van. hopefully he can tighten up his D ecause he's very good offensively and below average defensively.

[tantalum]

Because we should have gotten Clowe or Lucic along with a 1st rounder back for Hodgson and Alberts. Gillis isn't supposed to make decent/good deals that might benefit both teams, he's supposed to rape every team in every deal.

Right I forgot.

Gillis got good value for Hodgson. LIkely as much value as he was ever going to get. Another year on the third line and second unit PP getting 40 points wasn't going to increase that value the more I think about it.

It will be interesting to see what happens here.

[Strangelove]

BOLD MOVE INDEED

Topper will be happy!!



Black Ace you beat me by 2 minutes because I waited to see who we gave up!

love Hodgson, LOVE Kassian.

Nice to see Gillis adding the physicality this season some of us were calling for.

KASSIAN, Booth, Bitz, Weise!

Didn't get our beast defenseman, but oh well....

Doc does Kassian fit the description of 'asshole'?

Gotta be close right?

THE ASSHOLIEST!!

The guy just exudes assholishness....

LOL @ Lancer's rant... ewww someone has a "lance" for Cody!

As for the end result of deadline day....

Call me old-fashioned, but I like the idea of shutdown centres on 3rd & 4th lines going into the playoffs.

My name is Strangelove and I approve these trades.

Just wish Gillis could've acquired that #4 RS asshole D of course....

[tantalum]

Everything I have heard suggests he is poor defensively and soft, but then again I heard the same criticisms of Christian Ehrhoff too.

Funny...that's pretty much all we've seen from Christian Ehrhoff this year.

I honestly don't watch the sabres that much but if the forwards do not participate in the transition game and backcheck that well Ehrhoff will suffer. He's a very nice piece on a puck moving team.

[Lancer]

HAs Kyle Beach stood toe to toe with tough kids like Matt Martin and TKO'd a tough dude like Tom Sestito ??? Nope , Beach gets his ass wiped by almost everyone.

Matt Martin... would that be the same Matt Martin that has won all of two of the 11 NHL fights he's been in this season? Guess Kassian just proved he can do what other mediocre 4th line goons can do. Really valuable come playoff time. About as valuable as Beach getting his ass handed to him in the A.

Did Kyle Beach even get a sniff on a WJC team ? Again not even close.

Yeah, he got to the WJCs - where he tallied 2 goals in 5 games before getting suspended with a BS hit. See how long the suspension gets if he tries that in the NHL.

Has Beach won a Memorial Cup ? Not to my knowledge.

Check the Memorial Cup stats. I see a lot of Hall, Nemisz, Loktionov, Ellis, Cundari, Cam Fowler and Eric Wellwood amongst the top scorers from Windsor, but no Kassian. Seems he was more a passenger than a driver of that bus.

It seems you have lovers nuts for Cody and I like him myself but he wasn't going to get the opportunity here and nor should he have...... unless you are suggesting Henrik or Kesler should be dealt????

I got a soft-spot for the silent 'G' - but not quite the Greco-Roman kind to which you allude. Frankly I would have hoped his career could mirror that of the Twins - start on the 3rd line and work your way up. That said, if that scenario was not in the plans, the least Gillis could have done is gone after something better than a Beach clone with healthier shoulders. How will 7 points in 27 games and a minus-1 make any appreciable impact on the Canucks' chances in this year's playoffs? Will this kid scare anyone in the playoffs outside of his coaching staff? Conversely, how much would 20 goals and a decent option at centre on the 2nd unit PP contribute to a long run this Spring? If you're going to trade off Hodgson, why not wait until the draft?

Lots of sour grapes here for a guy who is 21 and was rated very highly by a LOT of NHL scouts/GM's etc.

No doubt Libor Polasek, Shawn Antoski and Jim Sandlak were quite highly-regarded by scouts and GMs who get wet at the site of any hockey player over 6'3" and tipping over 200 lbs. Look how well they turned out.

Because we should have gotten Clowe or Lucic along with a 1st rounder back for Hodgson and Alberts. Gillis isn't supposed to make decent/good deals that might benefit both teams, he's supposed to rape every team in every deal.

I don't care if Gillis rapes another GM at the deadline as long as he doesn't get raped himself. IMO, he got raped because he got seduced by a knuckle-dragger who managed to score some goals in junior, beat up some teens on the ice and throw dangerous hits to the head. I would have thought Gillis would know better.

[Strangelove]

Gragnani is Buffalo's Mason Raymond - every little problem becomes magnified. He's happy to be out of there and I can see why. I think he's got very good potential and he's got some really good coaches and mentors to learn to play D here in Van. hopefully he can tighten up his D ecause he's very good offensively and below average defensively.

Like most young offensive d-men, Gragnani tends to give up costly turnovers.

He might turn out to be just lovely, but frankly I'd rather not have to deal with his growing pains in the P/Os.

[Lancer]

LOL @ Lancer's rant... ewww someone has a "lance" for Cody!

I don't so much love Hodgson so much as I hate Kassian. Gillis essentially used the 10th spot of the 2009 draft on a knuckle-dragging douche who will struggle to have a meaningful NHL career.

I would love for the Canucks to make something out of Kassian, after which I will be standing by the water fountain for them to turn it into a wine spigot.

[Strangelove]

If he can be a 20 goal 40 point guy with his size and toughness, he's a huge asset and perhaps even more valuable then the 60+ point guy Cody Hodgson will most likely turn into.

Why Potski it does my heart good to hear you talk that way!

[Strangelove]

LOL @ Lancer's rant... ewww someone has a "lance" for Cody!

I don't so much love Hodgson so much as I hate Kassian. Gillis essentially used the 10th spot of the 2009 draft on a knuckle-dragging douche who will struggle to have a meaningful NHL career.

I would love for the Canucks to make something out of Kassian, after which I will be standing by the water fountain for them to turn it into a wine spigot.

Well time will tell one supposes.

I just finished reading miles of postings by hundreds of Sabre fans

... and I'd say 95% of em figure Kassian is a can't-miss NHL powerforward in the making.

But hey opinions are like *assholes*.

Speaking of that: You ARE in love with Cody.

[Aaronp18]

The more I think about the move the more I like this for now and the future.

We were all pretty much in agreement that we needed to get tougher. So instead of trading for some veteran whose top end talent makes him a gritty bottom six forward Gillis trades his young emerging centre for a tough as nails kid that has a huge upside and at only 21 years old makes the forward group much tougher and bigger.

Is it risky, yes a bit. However we picked up a shutdown guy and still 5 centers in the lineup tomorrow night. Come playoff time I'm not confident Hodgson would have produced as he has thus far in the regular season, he would be an unknown and he doesn't add physicality when he isn't producing offensively.

Right now Kassian is a bottom six, tough, physical player. Just what we need for a playoff run this year.

In the future, if he develops as some anticipate, he'll be a potential top 6 power forward that every team in the league would kill for. The Marchand's of the world will not be punching the Sedin's or taking our players out at the knees with guys like Kassian in our lineup.

Pahlsson adds what we lose as far as a third line centre goes, and Lappy can potentially move up and help absorb what we lose in Cody.

It sucks losing a prospect like Hodgson but I'm optimistic about Kassian and really like what he can potentially bring to the team. I'll be excited to watch from now until the playoff to see what this new blood can do!