RoyalDude wrote:
I just don't buy the logic that we had to much skill at centre. Pat Lafontaine played like 3 or 4 years at 3rd line centre with the Islanders behind Trottier, Goring and Brent Sutter. What was the rush with Cody, this was his rookie year wasn't it? Joe Sakic played a couple years behind Peter Stastny and Dale Hunter. The Centre position, outside of goaltending is the most important position in hockey and we squandered it for a 4th line winger, no offense to Kassian, I like him, but seriously, skilled young centreman are hard to get.
And I think this is the worry most Canucks fans have, Dude. Nobody is deluding themselves, this could come back and hurt the Canucks BIG TIME. It also has the potential to give the Canucks something they sorely lack, and when taken alongside the Pahlsson deal, makes us better immediately in more than one area of the ice.
We've known for a long time (well most of us) that we had a special player in Hodgson. Kassian is a different beast entirely, but is one the Canucks haven't had since Todd went berserk. He's the kind of player that can score a goal, fight your tougher players and then knock someone out with a vicious check. He's a mean mo-fo that can play minutes. These guys don't grow on trees, either. Nobody is claiming he's the next Lucic, but he's certainly got a better offensive pedigree and skates better. There's a reason guys like Marchand can get away with playing dirty and not simply chirping, guys like Lucic (Kassian?) are one. Down the road this will only help guys like Kesler, Lapierre and Burrows be more effective. It also takes the pressure off Bieksa from being our only policeman who can play.
Again, time will tell. We'd be stupid to trade Hodgson if we were a young team looking towards the future. This is a team obviously going for it now. The chances of Hodgson effectively replacing Henrik Sedin down the road are extremely slim. Once the Sedins are gone we probably won't be any better than we are now. Asset management. You acquire a traditional "third-line" centre. Your current third line centre can net you a potential (down the road) top-6 beast of a winger and a PP defenceman. I would say Gillis' asset management is pretty good in this one. We traded a future top-6 Centre for a potential future top-6 winger with size and a D-man who's put up amazing numbers wherever he's played.
Certainly better than a Hodgson for Luke Schenn straight up.