Kassian to Vancouver for Hodgson

[That Aud Smell]

is this the right thread for the news (on hamilton's and vogl's twitter) that the thinking is to have hodgson center ennis and stafford.?

 

looks like lindy wants the new guy to skate with someone he knows well (that'd be 63).

 

(i am in favor of putting ennis back on the wing.)

Edited February 28, 2012 by That Aud Smell

[Derrico]

Some people need to come up with a label for themselves. It's completely unnecessary and only serves to sever the place into a few different cliques.

 

+100000000000

[Robviously]

Who cares about the leaked request for a #1, or who leaked it. I will say again ... What secured the #1 for Goose was the fact that it became known that the team was in the process of working out an extension for Goose. Without that DR would have not had any hope of getting a #1 for Goose. End of story.

I couldn't disagree with this more. What would it matter to Nashville or any other team if the Sabres were really trying to work out an extension? They either want the player or they don't, and he's either available or he isn't. I don't think his value would increase or decrease based on the Sabres' possibly wanting to keep him. There weren't a ton of great players available and Nashville decided that they wanted Gaustad for their run.

 

We got a #1 for Gaustad because it was a seller's market. Tampa Bay was getting great value for so-so players last week too.

[K-9]

It's all potential. Kassian was a captain in juniors, played international winning medals.....and Central Scouting had him as the toughest guy out there, comparing his skill set to Neely and Tkachuk.

 

That's the point. I am not talking down Hodgson. I in fact said that Vancouver made the most sense as a trade partner for a center the night before the trade.

 

I am talking of the need to bash a kid as he's out the door to make yourself feel good. The tragic flaws on this team are still there. Hodgson could score 90 points next season and if a Shane Doan or an Iginla aren't brought in...it won't matter. That's always been my point, and once again at least for the next 4 months...we are still there.

 

Perhaps you need to appreciate the difference between "bashing" Kassian vs. simply not buying into the myth. Some of us see him for what he is: a young kid with enormous potential as an offensive player who can handle himself with his fists if needed. Like you, we all read the scouting reports and were hoping to see the next Neely in the making immediately. But as is the case with the vast majority of prospects that takes time to develop. It's not fair to the kid to expect that immediately and I was certainly more than willing to wait. But then a funny thing happened: we had an opportunity to acquire a higher rated prospect at a greater position of need.

 

If there is one glaring area of need that's even bigger than the one of grit and toughness, it's scoring. We are simply not very good at it. Scoring and getting leads will negate our disadvantage in the toughness department more than anything else. The Boston's of the league cannot leverage their physical advantage as readily when forced to play from behind very often. Plus, I think we're nicely positioned to make some deals for players that can help us get bigger and stronger in the summer. Yesterday was a start in reshaping the roster. It wasn't all going to be done overnight. And while it's easy to say that they should have started the process in December, I don't think it's that simple. Besides, it does no good to rant about missed opportunities that we don't know for sure existed in the first place.

 

Bottom line: it took a great prospect with potential to land another great prospect with potential. And we all wish Kassian the best with his new opportunity.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[MattPie]

Again....find me one time where I say Hodgson is a bad player or the trade was horrible.

 

You have an odd way of saying you like trades, then. You give the impression that you're really upset about it.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Perhaps you need to appreciate the difference between "bashing" Kassian vs. simply not buying into the myth. Some of us see him for what he is: a young kid with enormous potential as an offensive player who can handle himself with his fists if needed. Like you, we all read the scouting reports and were hoping to see the next Neely in the making immediately. But as is the case with the vast majority of prospects that takes time to develop. It's not fair to the kid to expect that immediately and I was certainly more than willing to wait. But then a funny thing happened: we had an opportunity to acquire a higher rated prospect at a greater position of need.

 

If there is one glaring area of need that's even bigger than the one of grit and toughness, it's scoring. We are simply not very good at it. Scoring and getting leads will negate our disadvantage in the toughness department more than anything else. The Boston's of the league cannot leverage their physical advantage as readily when forced to play from behind very often. Plus, I think we're nicely positioned to make some deals for players that can help us get bigger and stronger in the summer. Yesterday was a start in reshaping the roster. It wasn't all going to be done overnight. And while it's easy to say that they should have started the process in December, I don't think it's that simple. Besides, it does no good to rant about missed opportunities that we don't know for sure existed in the first place.

 

Bottom line: it took a great prospect with potential to land another great prospect with potential. And we all wish Kassian the best with his new opportunity.

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

Great post.

 

There are plenty here who aren't jumping on him. I am responding to the pocket of posters that jump down my throat. I've asked them to show me once where I said it was a bad deal or that Hodgson is a bad player.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I couldn't disagree with this more. What would it matter to Nashville or any other team if the Sabres were really trying to work out an extension? They either want the player or they don't, and he's either available or he isn't. I don't think his value would increase or decrease based on the Sabres' possibly wanting to keep him. There weren't a ton of great players available and Nashville decided that they wanted Gaustad for their run.

 

We got a #1 for Gaustad because it was a seller's market. Tampa Bay was getting great value for so-so players last week too.

 

Few players were available of any real substance is true. I believe the value for Goose was kept high by the fact that any potential buyers (I can't believe that Nashville was the only team interested, or they would have beaten DR down from his request for a #1) had the notion that he could just as easily be off the market.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

You have an odd way of saying you like trades, then. You give the impression that you're really upset about it.

 

I am disappointed that we gave up what we did and did not pick up a leader. All I am saying is that the lack of toughness and leadership is what has doomed this team more than lack of centers or talent. We have an $80 million payroll for the love of god! Why did this season go down in flames? Lack of center talent?

 

That's what I am saying. Again, I told d4rksabre that Vancouver was our best shot at getting a real center. They were "topheavy" at center as I put it. I wished it would have been Roy/Gaustad/Stafford/Leopold involved for Kesler.....and the reason they would even think about moving Kesler was because they were so deep and had a guy like Hodgson.

 

I said Darcy did well on Gaustad. I am just surprised how seemingly a total disaster of a season and 5 year track record of failure is forgiven by a good % because of one deal where we may have given up our most needed asset.

[thesportsbuff]

I am disappointed that we gave up what we did and did not pick up a leader. All I am saying is that the lack of toughness and leadership is what has doomed this team more than lack of centers or talent. We have an $80 million payroll for the love of god! Why did this season go down in flames? Lack of center talent?

 

 

You could make the argument that lack of center talent did, in fact, play a large role in this disaster of a season. We signed Ville Leino for the sole purpose of playing center, and he couldn't handle it. We were playing musical chairs... Hecht is a center one day, Boyes is a center the next, Leino tried it out for a few games... and then you have Roy, who wasn't producing, possibly still working his way back to 100% after his injury last year. We had no depth at center. Luke Adam was the only bright spot but his play declined dramatically -- whether that's Lindy's doing or just not being ready for the NHL grind is a discussion for a different thread.

 

But all of the sudden Roy has been playing better, and Ennis seems to have found his niche as a center, and what's happening? The team, though still not doing great, is playing much better for the past several weeks. The center position is vitally important, I would say more-so than toughness and grit when you're talking about a pseudo-rebuild situation.

 

Also, like SDS said, your point about leadership is moot. Where was all of Gaustad's toughness and leadership when his boy Miller got plowed over by a freight train? I've read lots of scouting reports on Hodgson that say he does possess leadership, so we'll see. Maybe we DID bring in a leader. Maybe Hodgson is our captain in 3 or 4 years.

Edited February 28, 2012 by thesportsbuff

[kishoph]

is this the right thread for the news (on hamilton's and vogl's twitter) that the thinking is to have hodgson center ennis and stafford.?

 

looks like lindy wants the new guy to skate with someone he knows well (that'd be 63).

 

(i am in favor of putting ennis back on the wing.)

 

Why would you want to remove a player that has shown he can play the Center position and has played it well on a team that has a weakness at Center ? We picked up a Center in Hodgson, but also lost one in Goose. Finding out that Ennis can play the position, and well, (3 goals, 4 primary assist in last 10 games) helped with our problem, removing him makes no sense to me. I'm not thrilled with the idea of seeing Leino or Boyes moved back to the Center spot. Maybe Sulzar can play Center ?

Edited February 28, 2012 by kishoph

[thesportsbuff]

Why would you want to remove a player that has shown he can play the Center position and has played it well on a team that has a weakness at Center ? We picked up a Center in Hodgson, but also lost one in Goose. Finding out that Ennis can play the position, and well, (3 goals, 4 primary assist in last 10 games) helped with our problem, removing him makes no sense to me. I'm not thrilled with the idea of seeing Leino or Boyes moved back to the Center spot. Maybe Sulzar can play Center ?

 

I agree that Ennis should remain at center, but I suspect that Luke Adam may get the call to come play on the third line for the rest of the year. It's probably not a good idea to flip flop a talent like Ennis back and forth every few weeks, but maybe he finishes the year on wing and works on his center skills this off-season. I think, for now, I'd rather have all three of Ennis/Hodg/Roy in our Top 6, even if that means one of them has to play wing. Gives us the best chance at making a post-season run, which I still haven't given up on. :beer: :beer:

[DR HOLLIDAY]

I am disappointed that we gave up what we did and did not pick up a leader.

 

Not that it means everything, but I saw a very big "C" on Hodgson's jersey when he played for the Battalion.

[TrueBlueGED]

At least you are sharp enough to figure it out.

 

The point being, I don't care if people want to feel they have a great asset in Hodgson. I hope he is. It is the psychological NEED to feel so validated by doing something, that people have to bash Kasian....a 20yo big body.....for being some sort of failure, when in actuality his career has started out much better than Hodgson, even being a year younger. The same people that will beg us to forgive Tyler Myers for not playing physical "yet" because he needs to "grow into himself", feel the NEED to villify Kassian who is younger and has 150+ games less experience than Myers as some sort of talentless filler. Don't worry though.....we can't possibly think of moving Myers in any deal because he sure as shinola is going to be the next Chara. But Kassian? Pffffttt!!! What a loser! They guy only caved in 2 guys faces in fights and scored 3 goals in his first 6 games while it took Hodgson 29 games to score that many.

 

People have strange psychies.......NOT ONCE did I say this was a horrible deal. Once we figured out Nashville gave a 2012 1st and Buff a 2013 4th....I said that was a good deal. All I ever have done with these deals is point out that of the Sabres 3 biggest needs......1)Heart+Toughness 2)Leadership 3)Centers.....the Sabres gained ground on one and lost ground in 2.

 

Hodgson is a young, talented center who can play now and contribute offense while some day he may become a #1 ceneter type. Hype him all you want. A team that was seconds away from winning a Stanley Cup however feels that Kassian and Gragnani increase their chances of getting the job done right this year over Hodgson. I don't take that lightly.

 

We went through the trade deadline last year, July 1st last year after spending $80 million in salaries, and the team took a swan dive for 3 months of the season while not making one move to try and stop the bleeding. We stand here this afternoon with the exact same core of players, minus Gaustad, and a top 3 lines in which the biggest physical threat comes from a 5'4" forward with a huge heart. I'm sure they braintrust is working on a masterplan for this July 1st where they can "almost" land Parise, or "almost" convince Nash that Buffalo isn't quite as ###### as Columbus as both a franchise and a city.

 

Enjoy the excitement of trade day.....enjoy the freshness of a new young player to evaluate.......but instead of some people using their energy to villify a player or a poster for ruining your buzz....maybe people need to honestly evaluate where things stand and what is really being said. There are always going to be differences of opinions. That's why there are markets, be it stock, commodity, horse, or hockey player. If the people watching over some of these same posters 401k's and IRA's had the same results as the Sabres have the past 5 seasons compared to the average, or the best.....would you still be happy?

 

All "Team Stormcloud" is are a few guys stuck in a Union pension fund...watching the administrators plunk almost every last dollar into Enron. We have no control over it....all we can do is warn and bitch.

 

I don't take it lightly. I also don't take it too seriously. Gillis was hired in 2008, which means the key cogs to the Cup run weren't his. The Sedins, Kesler, Bieksa, Luongo....none of them were his acquisitions. He has yet to prove he's some wizard at constructing a Cup team.

 

And your last comment is what irks me, really. I'm not sure if you meant it this way, but to me it reads "The guys running the ship are clearly idiots, the fans who believe they are capable of a good move are idiots, and we on the outside are geniuses who just get run over by the idiocy." It seriously looks like you don't believe they are capable of doing anything right, and even if they do, you question it because of who they are. It was like Gleason's column today which praised the moves, then slammed them simply because they were made by Regier.

Edited February 28, 2012 by TrueBluePhD

[K-9]

You could make the argument that lack of center talent did, in fact, play a large role in this disaster of a season. We signed Ville Leino for the sole purpose of playing center, and he couldn't handle it. We were playing musical chairs... Hecht is a center one day, Boyes is a center the next, Leino tried it out for a few games... and then you have Roy, who wasn't producing, possibly still working his way back to 100% after his injury last year. We had no depth at center. Luke Adam was the only bright spot but his play declined dramatically -- whether that's Lindy's doing or just not being ready for the NHL grind is a discussion for a different thread.

 

But all of the sudden Roy has been playing better, and Ennis seems to have found his niche as a center, and what's happening? The team, though still not doing great, is playing much better for the past several weeks. The center position is vitally important, I would say more-so than toughness and grit when you're talking about a pseudo-rebuild situation.

 

Also, like SDS said, your point about leadership is moot. Where was all of Gaustad's toughness and leadership when his boy Miller got plowed over by a freight train? I've read lots of scouting reports on Hodgson that say he does possess leadership, so we'll see. Maybe we DID bring in a leader. Maybe Hodgson is our captain in 3 or 4 years.

 

There can be no question that Hodgson brings leadership. He's been a captain of a world class, gold medal winning junior team. That's not a title given lightly from what I can gather. My hope is that he ignores the lack of passion that a couple of his new Alt. Cs possess and sets his own example. A tall order for a 21 year old coming into a new situation but if he displays the talent that won't matter. I'd love to hear a story about how he threw the boombox across the room after a loss. I love that Drury stuff.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[nfreeman]

You could make the argument that lack of center talent did, in fact, play a large role in this disaster of a season.

 

Not if your eyesight is functioning.

 

I am disappointed that we gave up what we did and did not pick up a leader. All I am saying is that the lack of toughness and leadership is what has doomed this team more than lack of centers or talent. We have an $80 million payroll for the love of god! Why did this season go down in flames? Lack of center talent?

 

That's what I am saying. Again, I told d4rksabre that Vancouver was our best shot at getting a real center. They were "topheavy" at center as I put it. I wished it would have been Roy/Gaustad/Stafford/Leopold involved for Kesler.....and the reason they would even think about moving Kesler was because they were so deep and had a guy like Hodgson.

 

I said Darcy did well on Gaustad. I am just surprised how seemingly a total disaster of a season and 5 year track record of failure is forgiven by a good % because of one deal where we may have given up our most needed asset.

 

Who doesn't wish this? And what does this have to do with the price of fish?

[rbochan]

Keeping Up With the Kassian – Zack Kassian Goes Through the Canucks PR Machine

 

 

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/02/28/keeping-up-with-the-kassian-zack-kassian-goes-through-the-canucks-pr-machine/

[K-9]

I agree that Ennis should remain at center, but I suspect that Luke Adam may get the call to come play on the third line for the rest of the year. It's probably not a good idea to flip flop a talent like Ennis back and forth every few weeks, but maybe he finishes the year on wing and works on his center skills this off-season. I think, for now, I'd rather have all three of Ennis/Hodg/Roy in our Top 6, even if that means one of them has to play wing. Gives us the best chance at making a post-season run, which I still haven't given up on. :beer: :beer:

 

God, I hope not. With his defensive liabilities, I think the third line is the worst place for him. Better to put Roy there I think. Adam needs to find himself again and I think the lesser pressure of the AHL can help him do that. I was disappointed to hear from some Amerks fans that he really appears to be struggling at the moment. He's gotta find a way to make the demotion motivate him.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[thesportsbuff]

Not if your eyesight is functioning.

 

I guess I'm missing something? Maybe I need glasses? I didn't see any of our make-shift centers lighting up the scoreboard or making good plays on a nightly basis. Offense starts with your center. We didn't have one.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Not that it means everything, but I saw a very big "C" on Hodgson's jersey when he played for the Battalion.

 

Did you see the "C" on Roy in Kitchener or the "C" on Kassian in Peterborough?

 

There can be no question that Hodgson brings leadership. He's been a captain of a world class, gold medal winning junior team. That's not a title given lightly from what I can gather. My hope is that he ignores the lack of passion that a couple of his new Alt. Cs possess and sets his own example. A tall order for a 21 year old coming into a new situation but if he displays the talent that won't matter. I'd love to hear a story about how he threw the boombox across the room after a loss. I love that Drury stuff.

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

other captains of Canadian junior medal winning teams.......Dan Paille and Cory Sarich

 

Not if your eyesight is functioning.

 

 

 

Who doesn't wish this? And what does this have to do with the price of fish?

 

Whole lotta overpriced "fish" on the Sabres. What little beef we had was cut in half.

[LabattBlue]

Did you see the "C" on Roy in Kitchener or the "C" on Kassian in Peterborough?

 

 

 

other captains of Canadian junior medal winning teams.......Dan Paille and Cory Sarich

 

 

 

Whole lotta overpriced "fish" on the Sabres. What little beef we had was cut in half.

...plus Paille was voted OHL's best body checker! :o

Edited February 28, 2012 by LabattBlue

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I don't take it lightly. I also don't take it too seriously. Gillis was hired in 2008, which means the key cogs to the Cup run weren't his. The Sedins, Kesler, Bieksa, Luongo....none of them were his acquisitions. He has yet to prove he's some wizard at constructing a Cup team.

 

And your last comment is what irks me, really. I'm not sure if you meant it this way, but to me it reads "The guys running the ship are clearly idiots, the fans who believe they are capable of a good move are idiots, and we on the outside are geniuses who just get run over by the idiocy." It seriously looks like you don't believe they are capable of doing anything right, and even if they do, you question it because of who they are. It was like Gleason's column today which praised the moves, then slammed them simply because they were made by Regier.

 

That's how I view them....maybe not idiots, but not good enough. Their trackrecord is public. Until they are gone, I have no recourse or proof that they can't get it done, because "they always have another season to get it done." And another.....and another....and another........

 

...plus Paille was voted OHL's best body checker! :o

 

Again Labatt....I'm not knocking Hodgson......I am saying everyone is trying to glorify him and at the same time villify Kassian who is younger and actually started out better than Hodgson.

 

Feel free to get excited about him as a player. As a team, you could put Gretzky in his prime on the Sabres and he probably would get knocked unconcious.

 

By the way....Hamilton says Miller is going apesh!t over Gaustad leaving and thinks he will be off his game.

[thesportsbuff]

 

By the way....Hamilton says Miller is going apesh!t over Gaustad leaving and thinks he will be off his game.

 

I wouldn't say "apesh!t." He expressed disappointment in a friend/roommate leaving. Darcy has been on two radio shows within the last hour and told them both that he's spoken with Ryan (and Jason) and everyone is understanding of the situation.

[deluca67]

I wouldn't say "apesh!t." He expressed disappointment in a friend/roommate leaving. Darcy has been on two radio shows within the last hour and told them both that he's spoken with Ryan (and Jason) and everyone is understanding of the situation.

What else would Regier say?

[K-9]

... Again Labatt....I'm not knocking Hodgson......I am saying everyone is trying to glorify him and at the same time villify Kassian who is younger and actually started out better than Hodgson. ...

 

As was the case in knowing the difference between Kassian bashing vs. not buying into the myth, perhaps you need to understand the difference between finding positives about a player vs. glorifying him.

 

Is being named a captain on a highly talented national team not a good thing? Does having that in common with Paille and Sarich mean he's not any more talented in the hockey department or possesses far more potential? Are there no two disparate concepts that you won't conflate to prove a point?

 

Sure, you say "go ahead and be happy about getting Hodgson" but then knock a reference to something that expresses that. Why is that? And don't tell me that has anything to do with "bashing Kassian" because it doesn't.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[LGR4GM]

What else would Regier say?

idk but if Miller and company cant handle that the Magnificent 7 are no more they there is a major issue in the organization.