The fact that Ballard thinks he needs to hide from the Canucks playing group clearly shows that he is unable to integrate into the room. The actions of Kesler and Burrows indicate they think Ballard is garbage and needs to go. Henrik and Edler removing the bag from the rubbish afterwards is a clear indication of the passive-aggressive leadership style of Swedes. We clearly will never win anything while they remain in positions of leadership.
A few point your dont seem to realize or just plain dont know about the trade.
1st, Vancouver aquired Kassian AND MA Gragnani, a young puck moving dman with a very low cap hit of $550,000.00
2 Hodgson has a cap hit of 1,666,666 on his contract. Kassian has a cap hit of $870,000
3 Hodgson has only one season left on his current deal, Kassian has 2 years left on his deal.
4 Kassian has been more productive in the AHL with 15 goals and 11 assists in 30 games played last year, his only stint in the AHL. Hodgson had 17 goals and 13 assists in 52 games played. 4 more points in 22 more games for a player who is supposed to have a much higher skill level?
What is your point with the cap issue?
We also dealt Sulzer... who was playing well.
Cody was dealing with an injury(s) that put him out of hockey for a while... He finally started to show his potential at the NHL level. Fitting in well and improving most lines.
Kassian was brought in to be add a lot to our playoff team. That didnt happen at all. We gave up an effective player who would have most likely helped our playoff run.
If Cody was really this and that and had to be traded immediately, we could have got a much better proven return that would have been effective. If not? Keep Cody and trade him at the draft for an even better return.
It just seems like that trade ended up ****ing up some sort of balance to our team.
A few point your dont seem to realize or just plain dont know about the trade.
1st, Vancouver aquired Kassian AND MA Gragnani, a young puck moving dman with a very low cap hit of $550,000.00
2 Hodgson has a cap hit of 1,666,666 on his contract. Kassian has a cap hit of $870,000
3 Hodgson has only one season left on his current deal, Kassian has 2 years left on his deal.
4 Kassian has been more productive in the AHL with 15 goals and 11 assists in 30 games played last year, his only stint in the AHL. Hodgson had 17 goals and 13 assists in 52 games played. 4 more points in 22 more games for a player who is supposed to have a much higher skill level?
Talk about grasping at straws.
Look, I really like Kassian, and I think his skill set is more rare than Hodgson's (no slight; I think Cody has has all-star, two-way upside). But MAG was a throw-in. Talk to any Buffalo fan and they will tell you how much they loath MAG. I am confident that AV will be able to maximize his talents as he coached him in junior, but to say that MAG tips the scales of this trade is straight up madness.
And the cap hit and micro analysis of AHL stats is embarassing. Next you're going to say that Kassian uses 5% less sock tape when putting on equipment, so therefore the Canucks can save $6.00 over the course of the season.
This board is one drunk night away from sending Hodgson a text message saying how much you miss him and want him to come back. In reality we should be focusing on our new girlfriend Kassian, and talking about how hard he hits and how good it is to have a legitimate fighter back on this team.
Anyone who thinks that Cody would have changed the outcome of the series is pretty deluded. Very few players are good enough to individually swing a series from 1-4 to 4-3. A 40 point player who typically faced softer than average competition and isn't a defensive ace is certainly not one of those players.
Look, I really like Kassian, and I think his skill set is more rare than Hodgson's (no slight; I think Cody has has all-star, two-way upside). But MAG was a throw-in. Talk to any Buffalo fan and they will tell you how much they loath MAG. I am confident that AV will be able to maximize his talents as he coached him in junior, but to say that MAG tips the scales of this trade is straight up madness.
And the cap hit and micro analysis of AHL stats is embarassing. Next you're going to say that Kassian uses 5% less sock tape when putting on equipment, so therefore the Canucks can save $6.00 over the course of the season.
This board is one drunk night away from sending Hodgson a text message saying how much you miss him and want him to come back. In reality we should be focusing on our new girlfriend Kassian, and talking about how hard he hits and how good it is to have a legitimate fighter back on this team.
There are many factors teams look at when making a deal, no matter how big or small. The previous poster I was talking to had pretty much no knowledge on the subject and the details that need to be looked at. All he could do was claim that if Cody was still on the team maybe the Canucks would be in the 3rd round of the playoffs eyeing up another finals appearance.
What is your point with the cap issue?
We also dealt Sulzer... who was playing well.
Cody was dealing with an injury(s) that put him out of hockey for a while... He finally started to show his potential at the NHL level. Fitting in well and improving most lines.
Kassian was brought in to be add a lot to our playoff team. That didnt happen at all. We gave up an effective player who would have most likely helped our playoff run.
If Cody was really this and that and had to be traded immediately, we could have got a much better proven return that would have been effective. If not? Keep Cody and trade him at the draft for an even better return.
It just seems like that trade ended up ****ing up some sort of balance to our team.
Sulzer is a UFA, simply moving out a contract on the 50 list.
As Gillis pointed out at the time of the trade, Kassian was brought in for long term improvement of the team, Funny how a player who is younger than Cody playing a more physically demaning game is expected to lead the team, yet Cody himself couldnt do that.
There are many factors teams look at when making a deal, no matter how big or small. The previous poster I was talking to had pretty much no knowledge on the subject and the details that need to be looked at. All he could do was claim that if Cody was still on the team maybe the Canucks would be in the 3rd round of the playoffs eyeing up another finals appearance.
fair. i think if the canucks had Daniel and Hodgson instead of Pahlsson and Kassian we would have lost in 6 anyways.
Hey, remember when Cody was getting all those plum zone starts, and poor Kesler and Henrik were playing "tough minutes", and how once they were unshackled from the terrible burden of having Hodgson greedily gobbling up all these soft minutes, that Henrik and Kesler would be free to create more offence?
That worked out awesome, yes?
I'm not going to suggest that Hodgson would have made the difference between winning and losing against LA, but it certainly couldn't have hurt to have an extra 20 goal, 40 point player hanging around.
In retrospect I think the lobbying for special treatment by the Hodgson camp started there. Draft picks don't make the team on their first NHL camp 99% of the time, and AV must've delivered that news hundreds of times, so there is no reason AV doesn't have the "He had a good camp, but we want him to work on this" routine well rehearsed by then.
So Hodgson's relationship with the Canucks would have soured even without the back injury. It would have soured the moment Hodgson's camp doesn't get their way, and that would be making the NHL right away.
With hindsight on my side, I agree.
But I'm done with this discussion, nothing new, nothing that hasn't been discussed 2000 times.
Glad there is an ignore thread option, enjoy boys and girls.
Hey, remember when Cody was getting all those plum zone starts, and poor Kesler and Henrik were playing "tough minutes", and how once they were unshackled from the terrible burden of having Hodgson greedily gobbling up all these soft minutes, that Henrik and Kesler would be free to create more offence?
That worked out awesome, yes?
I'm not going to suggest that Hodgson would have made the difference between winning and losing against LA, but it certainly couldn't have hurt to have an extra 20 goal, 40 point player hanging around.
The reason Henrik and Kesler didn't create more offence, and the reason Cody would have made absolutely no difference is because LA is playing extremely well.
The Canucks scored 8 goals in 5 games. The Coyotes and Blues have combined for 8 goals in 6 games against LA so far.
Henrik had 5 points and an injured Kesler had 3 points. Backes was the only player on the Blues to even reach 3 points.
While this article is too biased to take seriously, I do agree with one thing a little.
Gillis tossing Hodgson under the bus after his team got smoked in the first round seemed rather immature and petty to me. No matter how frustrating the Hodgson "situation" was, I don't think it looks good on the team to dump on a player in public.
This summer will tell a lot about Gillis as a GM. If he's anywhere close to as bad as last offseason, this franchise could be in some trouble.
Hey, remember when Cody was getting all those plum zone starts, and poor Kesler and Henrik were playing "tough minutes", and how once they were unshackled from the terrible burden of having Hodgson greedily gobbling up all these soft minutes, that Henrik and Kesler would be free to create more offence?
That worked out awesome, yes?
Kesler was playing banged up down the stretch and into the playoffs and Henrik Sedin was trying to create offense with Mason Raymond stepping in for Daniel Sedin. Factor in the strong play of the Kings and the league's willingness to allow the game to be dragged back through another dead-puck era and you have your answer as to why scoring was at a premium.
Cody Hodgson likely would have been chewed up and spit out by the Kings big, strong, stifling club. But that's besides the point - he wanted out and Gillis facilitated that. The question is, should he have waited until the draft to do so? IMO, yes. It would have given him one more excellent trade chip to help address our needs.
I'm not sure Kassian would have been available in the off-season. For example, if Buffalo drafted or picked up a center they felt could slot in, they might not be in the race for CoHo.
Again, this trade is only a debate because we didn't play Kassian as much as we should have. At the very least he should have been our Dwight King.
I'm not sure Kassian would have been available in the off-season. For example, if Buffalo drafted or picked up a center they felt could slot in, they might not be in the race for CoHo.
Again, this trade is only a debate because we didn't play Kassian as much as we should have. At the very least he should have been our Dwight King.
They were hoping he was ready for that but he just wasn't. His first few games here we saw exactly why Gillis wanted him. After that he was nearly invisible. Whether it was injury or fatigue or other he just wasn't ready for that kind of ice time. Neither was Hodgson in '11 but by the time '12 rolled around he had taken another step. I think there is reason to believe that Kassian could do the same. Here's hopin'.
They were hoping he was ready for that but he just wasn't. His first few games here we saw exactly why Gillis wanted him. After that he was nearly invisible. Whether it was injury or fatigue or other he just wasn't ready for that kind of ice time. Neither was Hodgson in '11 but by the time '12 rolled around he had taken another step. I think there is reason to believe that Kassian could do the same. Here's hopin'.
Thats what I dont get, why do people seem to assume that he has peaked? At least the replies seem to indicate that he is regressing. The kid just turned 21 years old a couple of months ago, last season was his 1st pro season. His statistical performance in the AHL was quite good, he only had 27 games in the NHL before becoming a Canucks, but he was supposed to lead this team to the promised land? Even Gillis said at the time of the deal it was a long term transaction.
Kassian is a full season behind Hodgson in development, and we all know it takes bigger guys longer to mature, to translate their games. Lets give him some time before we turn on him.
While this article is too biased to take seriously, I do agree with one thing a little.
Gillis tossing Hodgson under the bus after his team got smoked in the first round seemed rather immature and petty to me. No matter how frustrating the Hodgson "situation" was, I don't think it looks good on the team to dump on a player in public.
This summer will tell a lot about Gillis as a GM. If he's anywhere close to as bad as last offseason, this franchise could be in some trouble.
Smoke and mirrors. Your team just got bounced from the playoffs in 5 games to the 8th seed after winning the PT and having massive expectations once again... he deflected attention from his teams performance, and prevented some of the media from pulverizing and tearing apart our players by pointing to a kid over in Buffalo who wasn't willing to wait for his opportunity in Vancouver.
Thats what I dont get, why do people seem to assume that he has peaked? At least the replies seem to indicate that he is regressing. The kid just turned 21 years old a couple of months ago, last season was his 1st pro season. His statistical performance in the AHL was quite good, he only had 27 games in the NHL before becoming a Canucks, but he was supposed to lead this team to the promised land? Even Gillis said at the time of the deal it was a long term transaction.
Kassian is a full season behind Hodgson in development, and we all know it takes bigger guys longer to mature, to translate their games. Lets give him some time before we turn on him.
I agree we should look forward and hope Kassian will develop to his full potential, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him having limited production next year because it does take a bit longer for power forwards to develop and he hasn't played a full nhl season yet. Gillis' job as Canucks GM hinges on this guy too. If he fails to develop as expected, Gillis is pretty much done (especially if, in contrast, cody continues to play better)
He could very well be, or he can become a superstar. But I'm happy he's gone, what a dramaqueen. The give me this, give me that attitude for a rookie sure went over well.
Karlsson is awesome but a 6'8 stabilizing number one for the next decade sounds more appealing to me. Of course either one would've been better than that pile of piss Hodgson. Although, I'm pretty stoked for Kassian.
