Why is Kassian dropped to the 4th line?

[nuckster]

Yeach! Watching the Canucks last night was plain...yeach. So here is just one thought I would like to put forward about it.

I don't really get it. Zack was playing well, an so were many of the other 2nd and 3rd liners, while Kesler and Booth were away. Zack was our leading scorer early on and now he's been dropped down to 4th line minutes and less. Is this a reflection of AV's way of doing things or ... what? How is a number 1 draft pick with an offensive upside supposed to develop by playing a limited role like this?

Any comments/opinions about this?

[rats19]

Yeach! Watching the Canucks last night was plain...yeach. So here is just one thought I would like to put forward about it.

I don't really get it. Zack was playing well, an so were many of the other 2nd and 3rd liners, while Kesler and Booth were away. Zack was our leading scorer early on and now he's been dropped down to 4th line minutes and less. Is this a reflection of AV's way of doing things or ... what? How is a number 1 draft pick with an offensive upside supposed to develop by playing a limited role like this?

Any comments/opinions about this?

put him back with the twins and drop burrows to keslers line

[Topper]

He can learn to play responsibly in his own end before being rewarded with more ice time. Just as Kesler, Burrows, Hansen and Raymond did before him.

The only guy who didn't go that route was stumpy and that was because he was having his tyres pumped in order to be dumped.

[Jovocop]

He can learn to play responsibly in his own end before being rewarded with more ice time. Just as Kesler, Burrows, Hansen and Raymond did before him.

The only guy who didn't go that route was stumpy and that was because he was having his tyres pumped in order to be dumped.

Kassian was defensively fine when he was playing with confidence (alongside the Sedins). Once he was shuffled down one line per game or two, he is just not the same player.

[Listercat]

Time honoured tradition says that if you are not producing offensively you have to be sound defensively. The past 2 games Zack has given the puck away in his own zone several times. He is young and he will learn. The twins have made many players look good over the years. One of the best reasons for Burr being with them is his solid play in his own end, where the twins are not great.

[Topper]

Lets reward the sophomore for his poor defensive play by giving him more ice time while demoting and taking ice time from the vet who is playing responsibly.

[nuckster]

Lets reward the sophomore for his poor defensive play by giving him more ice time while demoting and taking ice time from the vet who is playing responsibly.

Hey now, be nice. I appreciate the reasonable/sensible comments though. Thanks

[rats19]

Lets reward the sophomore for his poor defensive play by giving him more ice time while demoting and taking ice time from the vet who is playing responsibly.

Hey now, be nice. I appreciate the reasonable/sensible comments though. Thanks

that was candy coated and quite correct...imho

[Jovocop]

Lets reward the sophomore for his poor defensive play by giving him more ice time while demoting and taking ice time from the vet who is playing responsibly.

Did Kassian start his poor defensive play before or after he was demoted? I thought he did make good defensive plays when he was with the Sedins. He had tons of confidence and the results showed that.

[Aaronp18]

Did Kassian start his poor defensive play before or after he was demoted? I thought he did make good defensive plays when he was with the Sedins. He had tons of confidence and the results showed that.

He was playing much more responsible at the beginning of the season but I think there's a good reason for this.

We saw the younger players in the league look great and out-skate and even out-score some of the veterans who didn't play during the lockout. Kassian, and others that played, were a slight step ahead of the inactive players.

He had that extra split second to make a play. That time has disappeared now that the majority of players are up to game speed. Because of that Kassian is finding things a bit tougher out there as he doesn't have that extra second to make a decision. He now needs to get used to the normal NHL pace of play.

You can see this all over the league, the guys that normally top the scoring charts are back up there. The young guns that put up some points in the first couple weeks have tailed off substantially.

Kassian now has to work to earn his top 6 icetime. He deserved it at the beginning of the year but he's finding the NHL game speed tough to catch up to now. It will come but he needs to realize that his game needs to get better and the effort must be put in every shift.

[RoyalDude]

Once he was shuffled down one line per game or two, he is just not the same player.

Were Jason King, Trent Klatt, Anson Carter the same player(s) after no longer riding shot gun with the Sedins? The record shows that just maybe, not saying they did, but just maybe the Sedins made Kassian look better than he actually is.

[Strangelove]

He was playing much more responsible at the beginning of the season but I think there's a good reason for this.

We saw the younger players in the league look great and out-skate and even out-score some of the veterans who didn't play during the lockout. Kassian, and others that played, were a slight step ahead of the inactive players.

He had that extra split second to make a play. That time has disappeared now that the majority of players are up to game speed. Because of that Kassian is finding things a bit tougher out there as he doesn't have that extra second to make a decision. He now needs to get used to the normal NHL pace of play.

You can see this all over the league, the guys that normally top the scoring charts are back up there. The young guns that put up some points in the first couple weeks have tailed off substantially.

Kassian now has to work to earn his top 6 icetime. He deserved it at the beginning of the year but he's finding the NHL game speed tough to catch up to now. It will come but he needs to realize that his game needs to get better and the effort must be put in every shift.

THIS

[Hockey Widow]

With Kesler gone for 4-6 weeks we might yet see Kassian back with the twins as Burrows rotates throughout the line up.

[Diehard1]

With Kesler gone for 4-6 weeks we might yet see Kassian back with the twins as Burrows rotates throughout the line up.

Yup, that's my guess as to what we will see come Saturday night. Twins with Kassian, Burr back at center on the 3rd line and the Schroeder-Raymond-Booth line taking over as the defacto 2nd line.

Might be a blessing in disguise if Kassian can get back on track. Still think another center is needed at the deadline.

[Overtime]

Yeach! Watching the Canucks last night was plain...yeach. So here is just one thought I would like to put forward about it.

I don't really get it. Zack was playing well, an so were many of the other 2nd and 3rd liners, while Kesler and Booth were away. Zack was our leading scorer early on and now he's been dropped down to 4th line minutes and less. Is this a reflection of AV's way of doing things or ... what? How is a number 1 draft pick with an offensive upside supposed to develop by playing a limited role like this?

Any comments/opinions about this?

I am of the opinion that Vigneault has lost his fire as a coach. I like him but he seems far too comfortable and old school to make things happen anymore. His time as a coach imho finished last year sadly; with our team.
I hate the way he treats younger players as well. In our shortened season; especially with our injury problems and divisional lead; he should be giving way more minutes to our younger players. This is a very serious time for our team right now. They are playing like......yep