Bik: Well TJ - its time to echo
the voice of Canuck Nation. Didn't we have a guy.... what was his name... It
rhymed with Brody Schmodgson I know that much. But we traded him.... for the
One.... the Only.... The Main Attraction.... The Big Event.... The.... I'm
running out of names..... how about just... THE KASSASSIN!!!! It's a small
sample size, but it appears like Zack Kassian might have found himself a role
with this club and surprise surprise, its with the Twins who can now add
Kassian to their list of players who they have made look fantastic. On a level
of 1-10.... 9.7 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest... How excited are you
about this guy right now?
TJ: THE KASSASSIN!!! I LOVE
IT!!! And did I not make it clear last year that this was a trade that would
pay off? All of Canuck nation was calling for some sort of grit or sandpaper.
Someone with an edge. I mean look at this crazy bastard. Finally a character on this team. And for the first time in
what seems like....ever....Vigneault is finally using a young player in the
role he should be. For Kass it's simple. Stand by the net. Don't miss the
tap-ins. Don't let the other team take liberties with the Sedins. The kid is
doing a bang up job so far. Makes you think....Cody who?
Bik: Hold on.... We’re not
really going to give AV credit for this are we? Wasn’t his hand kind of forced
with the injuries? It’s not like he did this just to give Kassian a shot... He
did it because he wanted Burrows to center a line. We’re talking about a coach
that cut Mason Raymond’s ice-time by nearly 2 minutes a year after he was the
teams 5th leading scorer, a coach that couldn’t make room for Cody
Hodgson (as much as we’ll discount him now, we can't refuse to acknowledge that he
had a place on this team when he was still here) or Michael Grabner before
that. But it's not even just about character with Kassian. It's the emotion he
brings to the team. I'm not saying the captain has to be a "rah-rah"
type of personality, but I like my team's captain to carry the emotion of the
team. Which is why when the change from Luongo to a new captain was made, I
wanted Kesler as the new captain because of the emotion he plays with. Too often
this team has a lackadaisical demeanor with the personality from its key
players. The Twins, Luongo, Hamhuis, Edler, bring that diplomatic approach to
the ice. It’s great to have a guy join the Kesler, Burrows, Lappiere, Hansen
group that bring that edge necessary on the ice. He headlines that group all of
a sudden because he’s a bit of a “Dark-Alley Guy”. Which when you look at the
last few teams to reach the Stanley Cup Finals (Byfuglien with Chicago, Pronger
with Philadelphia, Penner/Brown with LA) you need to have.
TJ: Ugh, you would mention
Grabner....He was waived by FLORIDA....nuff said. The real question though,
when the team is healthy....does he still have that top spot? Has he replaced
Alex Burrows? If not is he ahead of Raymond or Booth for a second line slot?
(And don't turn this into a Mason Raymond Love fest because I know you
will....We will do that later...stay focused Bik) At this point and time I
think you have to roll with him in your top two lines. We have parted with too
many "talented" players who were just not given the time to assert
themselves into our top six (see: Hodgson, Cody or Grabner, Michael) Why not
finally take a gamble when your team is all but guarantee a spot in the
playoffs this year. No way playing Kassian in a top six role makes this team a
non-contender suddenly. Even when he's not scoring, at least he is generating
energy, something this team has missed for a number of years.
Bik: Grabner did have 11 points
in 20 games with the Canucks playing 13 minutes a game, and if we’re using
hindsight as a barometer for “nuff said” arguments, he has put up back-back 20
goal seasons on the Island. I’m just saying let’s not leap to praise AV for his
sudden affection towards young players. I think he sticks, it just makes too
much sense, or if you want re-unite Burrows with the twins he’s DEFINITELY
ahead of Booth. If what you want on that second line is a power forward type to
go with Kesler, then I’ll take Kassian over Booth. By the time of his recover
Booth will have spent roughly 12 weeks injured as a Canuck, and maybe 15-16
healthy. How exactly can we trust that this guy will secure a permanent role in
the Top 6? I still like him with the Twins over Burrows and Burrows on a line
with Kesler and Raymond. Also he can stay on the Power-Play with them and give
us an actual second unit if you move Kesler back to the 2nd.
TJ: On a short leash, sure I
put him ahead of Booth. If he isn't scoring while playing away from the Twins
however (Anson Carter Syndrome), he is better suited on the fourth line. I know
this sounds like I am back-tracking but at the same time you can't just let him
eat up a top six minutes when he isn't producing, and at that point his skill
set is being a physical energy guy AKA the fourth line. This is all
hypothetical and comes down to what happens when (if ever) Booth gets into the
lineup, but I would not be surprised if Kass plays either top line or 4th line.
You NEED Booth/Raymond with high minutes. That's what you pay them for. You
don't NEED Kassian 15 minutes a night. He still has time to grow.
Bik: Well isn’t the fail safe
now just putting him with the Twins? Why bury him on the 4th line
with 9 minutes of ice-time? If he’s not producing on the 2nd line –
why not just put him with the Twins? And isn’t it Trent Klatt Syndrome? This
isn’t a new fad that a player with the Twins can be productive: Klatt, Carter,
Trevor Linden, Matt Cooke, Jason King, Taylor Pyatt, and then finally Alex
Burrows. Which actually brings up a bigger question. Did Canucks management
over-value Alex Burrows’ contribution to this taem during his last contract
negotiation? If Kassian sticks long-term with the Twins, isn’t Burrows
over-paid at 4.5 for 4 more years? Or does having Burrows fit fine with Kesler
on the 2nd line mean that Booth is expendable? Kassian’s potential
actually opens some doors for the rest of the lineup.
TJ: Burrows is being
retroactively paid for service he was underpaid for. Those years at $2 million
were a steal. But unlike the other plugs that have played with the Sedins,
Burrows has shown he can play else where and still be productive. It's only a
matter of time before we see if Kass was just riding shotgun on the Sedin
Success Train, or if he can be an integral part of this team. I lean
to the latter but it might be a year or two before we get to see Kassian at his
best. A lot of people compare him to Todd Bertuzzi and as long as he doesn't
develop Bertuzzi's lazy work ethic, you will see his name on the back of a lot
of fans jerseys for years to come.
Bik: I get that logic, but it
makes little sense in the framework of building a team. We’re paying Burrows 1st
line money in a spot that is arguably the least valued roster spot on this
team, since the Twins make everyone look good... like seriously Taylor
Pyatt jeeeeez. If
Burrows best value is that he’s a complimentary piece elsewhere on the
team as a penalty killer, considering we had already paid Booth, isn’t that
money better served elsewhere? This isn’t an anti-Burrows rant, this is an
anti-Booth rant. If you commit to Kassian’s emergence on the top line, the
forwards could look like:
Sedin-Sedin-Kassian
Raymond-Kesler-Burrows
Higgins-Lappiere-Hansen
Volpatti-Malhotra-Weise
With a need for defensive depth and factoring in Kassian’s
potential next to the Twins, I’d be up to moving Booth (understandably at 40
cents on the dollar) for defensive help and/or a prospect.
TJ: Hahahah did we really just come to this? If we had written this near the end of the season last year it would have been all Booth love and Kassian hate....now look where we stand. #CanuckFanLogic
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