Kassian to Vancouver for Hodgson

[inkman]

How is he useful if he's not available for 1/5 of the game or more? This isn't BJS we're talking about; it's a guy who is supposed to be physical AND an offensive contributor.

Let me be perfectly clear, it would have been a bittersweet ride if Kassian had fulfilled his eventual place in the league. I would have loved every minute of the crazy but his final analysis may end up being a little short of what we all anticipated.

[FolignosJock]

AND the second coming of Cam Neely.

 

yup this is what i wanted :(

 

 

This is still what I want.

 

 

A 6'4'' 240 pound winger who was abandoned on a frozen lake in Saskatchewan in the middle of winter as a three year old. He makes an igloo and chews a whole into the ice so that he can fish. When spring came and the ice broke he swam to shore, unlucky for him an angry moose was drinking on the shore where he landed. He grabs the moose by the antlers and kills the moose after ripping them off. Upon seeing this a pack of wolves respect him and not only raise him but make them their pack leader. He spends the next year hunting with the pack, then the wolves start to trust humans because of their leader. This proves to be a huge mistake and his adopted mother is killed by a man in the nearest town. He finds the man on a backyard rink and kills him brutally stealing his skates and stick. He then realizes that he cant keep going on killing all the humans so he teaches himself to skate and shoot and score. He travels the countryside finding every pond hockey and junior hockey game he can find. To make up for the humans killing his wolf mother he becomes the greatest hockey player to ever live. Every time the other team touches the puck he puts the guy through the boards and because our silly rules wont allow him to hit the goalie he destroys their psyches by scoring goals. He is granted exceptional player status as a 6 year old and destroys every record the OHL has. He is then given the first ever exceptional player status for the NHL and he leads us to the Stanley Cup each of his twenty years in the league.

 

 

Its not too much to ask for right?

[dudacek]

yup this is what i wanted :(

 

 

This is still what I want.

 

 

A 6'4'' 240 pound winger who was abandoned on a frozen lake in Saskatchewan in the middle of winter as a three year old. He makes an igloo and chews a whole into the ice so that he can fish. When spring came and the ice broke he swam to shore, unlucky for him an angry moose was drinking on the shore where he landed. He grabs the moose by the antlers and kills the moose after ripping them off. Upon seeing this a pack of wolves respect him and not only raise him but make them their pack leader. He spends the next year hunting with the pack, then the wolves start to trust humans because of their leader. This proves to be a huge mistake and his adopted mother is killed by a man in the nearest town. He finds the man on a backyard rink and kills him brutally stealing his skates and stick. He then realizes that he cant keep going on killing all the humans so he teaches himself to skate and shoot and score. He travels the countryside finding every pond hockey and junior hockey game he can find. To make up for the humans killing his wolf mother he becomes the greatest hockey player to ever live. Every time the other team touches the puck he puts the guy through the boards and because our silly rules wont allow him to hit the goalie he destroys their psyches by scoring goals. He is granted exceptional player status as a 6 year old and destroys every record the OHL has. He is then given the first ever exceptional player status for the NHL and he leads us to the Stanley Cup each of his twenty years in the league.

 

 

Its not too much to ask for right?

 

And the guy who killed his mom was a Bruins fan, right?

[FolignosJock]

And the guy who killed his mom was a Bruins fan, right?

 

Nope a Serbian Immigrant and Longshoreman. his name....... Dobrivoje Lučić

[bunomatic]

Nope a Serbian Immigrant and Longshoreman. his name....... Dobrivoje Lučić

 

:w00t:

[Jsixspd]

My overall impression of Hodgson is that he's a slightly less soft version of Jason Pominville, and that impression is supported by the stats so far this year.

 

Hodgson has played 37 games this season, and amassed 24 points for an average of 0.65 points per game played.

 

Pommers has played 51 games, and tallied 33 points, for an average of 0.65 points per game.

 

Their offensive output per game is almost identical.

 

And so far this year, Hodgson is averaging 0.57 hits per game, versus Pominville's ever so soft 0.31 hits per game. Hodgson is still quite soft, just not so much as Captain Creampuff.

[darksabre]

My overall impression of Hodgson is that he's a slightly less soft version of Jason Pominville, and that impression is supported by the stats so far this year.

 

Hodgson has played 37 games this season, and amassed 24 points for an average of 0.65 points per game played.

 

Pommers has played 51 games, and tallied 33 points, for an average of 0.65 points per game.

 

Their offensive output per game is almost identical.

 

And so far this year, Hodgson is averaging 0.57 hits per game, versus Pominville's ever so soft 0.31 hits per game. Hodgson is still quite soft, just not so much as Captain Creampuff.

 

And I don't expect Hodgson to even be anything more than what he is right now in the hitting department. I'm more concerned with his work along the boards and strength on the puck in the high reward areas in front of the net.

[nfreeman]

My overall impression of Hodgson is that he's a slightly less soft version of Jason Pominville, and that impression is supported by the stats so far this year.

 

Hodgson has played 37 games this season, and amassed 24 points for an average of 0.65 points per game played.

 

Pommers has played 51 games, and tallied 33 points, for an average of 0.65 points per game.

 

Their offensive output per game is almost identical.

 

And so far this year, Hodgson is averaging 0.57 hits per game, versus Pominville's ever so soft 0.31 hits per game. Hodgson is still quite soft, just not so much as Captain Creampuff.

 

Well, I don't see the point in taking shots at Pommer, who is a good player and IMHO blameless for the Sabres' mistakes in overpaying him and making him captain.

 

Having said that, I checked out some Minnesota stats and saw the following:

 

- Minnesota is very much a bubble playoff team -- right now they are in #8 in the WC, with Phoenix nipping at their heels.

 

- Minnesota is 26th in the NHL in scoring.

 

- After a scorching start, Pommer has 6 goals in his last 28 games and 2 in his last 13.

 

- Pommer gets the 3rd-most ice time on the team among forwards.

 

My conclusion: as with the Sabres, Pommer is a nice player but not a building block. You don't want to pay him $5MM per year and you don't want to rely on him as one of your best 3-4 forwards.

 

It will be interesting to see whether Minny pursues Vanek in FA as many have speculated. They may instead conclude that center is where they should be spending their $$, not another expensive winger.

[Jsixspd]

ESPN doesn't track hits as part of the player stats, but this site does. Kind of interesting. Otter and Weber are up pretty high on the Hit List. That's probably the biggest difference I've seen in the Sabres under Ted Nolan- game seems a lot more physical

 

http://www.sportingc...tatistics/2013/

 

Now we just need to get Ted some better talent, that can get score.

 

EDIT - I sorted the above site by team, and looked at the Sabres. Among regular Sabres players, playing more than 20 games this season, our old buddy the Thin Finn, Ville Leino, has the lowest average hits per game - 0.47. It wouldn't be so bad if he actually contributed offensively, but that slug is a complete waste of ice time. No goals, only 6 points, and is a -8. He doesn't even try - Ted outta just bench his useless ass until we can get rid of him in the off-season. I get angry every time I see 23 skating around out there, because he handicaps the entire line he's playing on - it's like having 4 1/2 players on ice, instead of 5.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Jsixspd

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Remember....Hodgson was brought in at a time where Lucic had exposed the Sabres to the world as a laughingstock and pretty much a cowardly core. You were trading away the one guy with the skillset that could change that for more of the same. The fanbase had been fed tilapia and boiled chicken the past 4 years...we had some steak in the freezer...and traded it away for stir fry vegetables. Sure, the vegetables taste fine.....but we're going anemic here.

 

I have some fun with the Kassian/Hodgson thing because it seems that a lot of fans feel the need to bash a guy that leaves and prop the new guy on a pedestal. Hodgson seems to be loosening up a little this year, at least in my opinion in his public displays. Nobody denies his vision and hands....just hope he keeps maturing when it comes to battles and going back as hard as forward.

 

 

[Trettioåtta]

Remember....Hodgson was brought in at a time where Lucic had exposed the Sabres to the world as a laughingstock and pretty much a cowardly core. You were trading away the one guy with the skillset that could change that for more of the same. The fanbase had been fed tilapia and boiled chicken the past 4 years...we had some steak in the freezer...and traded it away for stir fry vegetables. Sure, the vegetables taste fine.....but we're going anemic here.

 

I have some fun with the Kassian/Hodgson thing because it seems that a lot of fans feel the need to bash a guy that leaves and prop the new guy on a pedestal. Hodgson seems to be loosening up a little this year, at least in my opinion in his public displays. Nobody denies his vision and hands....just hope he keeps maturing when it comes to battles and going back as hard as forward.

 

Thank you Mrs Kassian

 

I really don't understand why Coho is a whipping boy on this team. He is doing just want he is meant to do, an upper second line centre. I guess he is the new Roy. A player put in a position to struggle by management and bizarrely ridiculed by fans who also ridicule the (former) management.

 

Also, Coho is on a great deal at $4.5 mil and Pommers is on a great deal at $5.5 mil. I'm not sure why people think they are bad contracts. Leino is a bad contract. Clarkson is a bad contract. Phaneuf is a bad contract

[Robviously]

Remember....Hodgson was brought in at a time where Lucic had exposed the Sabres to the world as a laughingstock and pretty much a cowardly core. You were trading away the one guy with the skillset that could change that for more of the same. The fanbase had been fed tilapia and boiled chicken the past 4 years...we had some steak in the freezer...and traded it away for stir fry vegetables. Sure, the vegetables taste fine.....but we're going anemic here.

 

I have some fun with the Kassian/Hodgson thing because it seems that a lot of fans feel the need to bash a guy that leaves and prop the new guy on a pedestal. Hodgson seems to be loosening up a little this year, at least in my opinion in his public displays. Nobody denies his vision and hands....just hope he keeps maturing when it comes to battles and going back as hard as forward.

Not really. We traded Zack Kassian the Player, not Zack Kassian the Concept.

[TrueBlueGED]

Well, I don't see the point in taking shots at Pommer, who is a good player and IMHO blameless for the Sabres' mistakes in overpaying him and making him captain.

 

Having said that, I checked out some Minnesota stats and saw the following:

 

- Minnesota is very much a bubble playoff team -- right now they are in #8 in the WC, with Phoenix nipping at their heels.

 

- Minnesota is 26th in the NHL in scoring.

 

- After a scorching start, Pommer has 6 goals in his last 28 games and 2 in his last 13.

 

- Pommer gets the 3rd-most ice time on the team among forwards.

 

My conclusion: as with the Sabres, Pommer is a nice player but not a building block. You don't want to pay him $5MM per year and you don't want to rely on him as one of your best 3-4 forwards.

 

It will be interesting to see whether Minny pursues Vanek in FA as many have speculated. They may instead conclude that center is where they should be spending their $$, not another expensive winger.

 

Minnesota is also playing in the real conference--their 59 points would tie them for 4th in the East, and that's without doing any kind of correction for strength of schedule in obtaining those 59 points.

 

Thank you Mrs Kassian

 

I really don't understand why Coho is a whipping boy on this team. He is doing just want he is meant to do, an upper second line centre. I guess he is the new Roy. A player put in a position to struggle by management and bizarrely ridiculed by fans who also ridicule the (former) management.

 

Also, Coho is on a great deal at $4.5 mil and Pommers is on a great deal at $5.5 mil. I'm not sure why people think they are bad contracts. Leino is a bad contract. Clarkson is a bad contract. Phaneuf is a bad contract

 

I'd consider Hodgon more of an appropriate contract than a great contract, but that's nitpicking, since I completely agree with the rest of this.

 

Edit: Although in Phaneuf's case, I'm not sure Toronto had much of a choice. He might not be a #1 defeseman, but #1 Dmen aren't exactly readily available right now and electing to not re-sign Phaneuf would leave quite a hole on that blue line.

Edited January 21, 2014 by TrueBluePhD

[nfreeman]

Minnesota is also playing in the real conference--their 59 points would tie them for 4th in the East, and that's without doing any kind of correction for strength of schedule in obtaining those 59 points.

 

This is certainly true, but I think their expectations -- internal and external -- were well above playoff-bubble status. They've committed about $250MM to Parise, Suter, Pommer and Koivu over the past couple of years.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Remember....Hodgson was brought in at a time where Lucic had exposed the Sabres to the world as a laughingstock and pretty much a cowardly core. You were trading away the one guy with the skillset that could change that for more of the same. The fanbase had been fed tilapia and boiled chicken the past 4 years...we had some steak in the freezer...and traded it away for stir fry vegetables. Sure, the vegetables taste fine.....but we're going anemic here.

 

I have some fun with the Kassian/Hodgson thing because it seems that a lot of fans feel the need to bash a guy that leaves and prop the new guy on a pedestal. Hodgson seems to be loosening up a little this year, at least in my opinion in his public displays. Nobody denies his vision and hands....just hope he keeps maturing when it comes to battles and going back as hard as forward.

Tilapia, chicken and vegetables..... Seems like enough to prevent anemia to me ;)

Besides studies show red meat can be bad for team.... I mean body.

Any who there may have been some steak in the freezer but we're talking about a 4oz filet to feed a team of hungry men.

 

In all fairness I haven't followed Kassian at all since the trade, I have however witnessed the sabres with Hodgson hurt and with him in the lineup, and pending some bad shootout attempts, we are a better team with him in the lineup. It'd be interesting to get Kassian back and put him with Ott and Gus and see what we have

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

Thank you Mrs Kassian

 

Not really. We traded Zack Kassian the Player, not Zack Kassian the Concept.

 

This is what I mean.....bash a guy instead of watching him progress. The kid is a bigger, more talented, scarier version of Steve Ott right now, who just needs the experience to learn when to push the envelope and when to ignore stuff. His teammates love him. With Tortorella, he just has to keep transitioning that strength and energy from playful pit bull puppy, to junk yard dog.

 

The past month he has started taking form. He has gotten some 2nd line and powerplay time. Even if you compare him to Hodgson....Hodgson has 1 more goal, and 1 more regular strength point. This, playing on the 1st line and #1PP most of the year versus a 3rd line and 5 minutes less a game.

 

Given all the change in the front office, and with Ted Nolan aboard, the direction of the Sabres makes this trade much more of a moot point....but I still don't get how 1) People need to bash the guy from day one, and 2) Can't admit that the skillset and brute force the guy has was a rarity that was shipped out for a guy with similar charter and talent to the rest of the current Sabres.

 

The whole "Concept" issue that gets tossed about like he was some sort of failure....Kassian was 14 months older than Grigorenko is right now when he was traded. I'd like to compare opinions on the projected outlook and internal value of both by the same posters.

 

 

[TrueBlueGED]

This is certainly true, but I think their expectations -- internal and external -- were well above playoff-bubble status. They've committed about $250MM to Parise, Suter, Pommer and Koivu over the past couple of years.

 

Agreed.

[LGR4GM]

This is what I mean.....bash a guy instead of watching him progress. The kid is a bigger, more talented, scarier version of Steve Ott right now, who just needs the experience to learn when to push the envelope and when to ignore stuff. His teammates love him. With Tortorella, he just has to keep transitioning that strength and energy from playful pit bull puppy, to junk yard dog.

 

The past month he has started taking form. He has gotten some 2nd line and powerplay time. Even if you compare him to Hodgson....Hodgson has 1 more goal, and 1 more regular strength point. This, playing on the 1st line and #1PP most of the year versus a 3rd line and 5 minutes less a game.

 

Given all the change in the front office, and with Ted Nolan aboard, the direction of the Sabres makes this trade much more of a moot point....but I still don't get how 1) People need to bash the guy from day one, and 2) Can't admit that the skillset and brute force the guy has was a rarity that was shipped out for a guy with similar charter and talent to the rest of the current Sabres.

 

The whole "Concept" issue that gets tossed about like he was some sort of failure....Kassian was 14 months older than Grigorenko is right now when he was traded. I'd like to compare opinions on the projected outlook and internal value of both by the same posters.

Just to the bolded, why would we only compare them for a month? I understand what you are saying but Zack Kassian was not what the team needed. He still isn't what the team needs. I don't have a problem with Kassian or Hodgson. They play a different game. My real problem is having this conversation once every month. Hodgson plays better currently than Zack Kassian. Where will they be in 3 more years? idk. Lets have that conversation then.

[LastPommerFan]

This is what I mean.....bash a guy instead of watching him progress. The kid is a bigger, more talented, scarier version of Steve Ott right now, who just needs the experience to learn when to push the envelope and when to ignore stuff. His teammates love him. With Tortorella, he just has to keep transitioning that strength and energy from playful pit bull puppy, to junk yard dog.

 

The past month he has started taking form. He has gotten some 2nd line and powerplay time. Even if you compare him to Hodgson....Hodgson has 1 more goal, and 1 more regular strength point. This, playing on the 1st line and #1PP most of the year versus a 3rd line and 5 minutes less a game.

 

Given all the change in the front office, and with Ted Nolan aboard, the direction of the Sabres makes this trade much more of a moot point....but I still don't get how 1) People need to bash the guy from day one, and 2) Can't admit that the skillset and brute force the guy has was a rarity that was shipped out for a guy with similar charter and talent to the rest of the current Sabres.

 

The whole "Concept" issue that gets tossed about like he was some sort of failure....Kassian was 14 months older than Grigorenko is right now when he was traded. I'd like to compare opinions on the projected outlook and internal value of both by the same posters.

 

Hodgson has played LESS THAN HALF as many games in the past month as Kassian. Kassian is better than half the board here thinks, but he is no where near as good as you make him out to be.

 

Also, right now, there are no centers on the roster or in the organization nearly as talented as Cody. There is a player (Ott) who is nearly, if not more, talented than Kassian, and they got him for nothing.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Glass Case Of Emotion

[Weave]

This is what I mean.....bash a guy instead of watching him progress.

 

You do realize most of the bashing is more of a playful swipe at you and your affection for all things Kassian than it is a swipe at Kassian, right?

[dudacek]

I like Zack Kassian. For the sake of the frustrated Canuck fans and their aging team, I hope he one day progresses off the third or fourth line and into the top-six role his skill set promises.

There has yet to be a day I regret that trade.

[Eleven]

I like Zack Kassian. For the sake of the frustrated Canuck fans and their aging team, I hope he one day progresses off the third or fourth line and into the top-six role his skill set promises.

There has yet to be a day I regret that trade.

 

That's about where I am.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

You do realize most of the bashing is more of a playful swipe at you and your affection for all things Kassian than it is a swipe at Kassian, right?

 

70/30

 

 

 

 

There is a player (Ott) who is nearly, if not more, talented than Kassian, and they got him for nothing.

 

Isn't Hodgson's upside pretty much Roy?

 

 

[Claude_Verret]

Isn't Hodgson's upside pretty much Roy?

 

Once upon a time Derek Roy was a 70-80 pt guy for a few seasons. If CH can bring that production consistently then I'm happy.

[Eleven]

 

Isn't Hodgson's upside pretty much Roy?

 

Yeah, but without the partying and flopping. That's why people like him.