K-9
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Posts posted by K-9
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You know who I will give credit to Lindy Ruff for developing? Jason Pominville. I think he has gotten the most out of him and has been great for him. If you are a defensive minded perimeter player who doesn't like to make waves...Lindy is good for you.
I just can't help but feeling that if JP hadn't had the misfortune of getting drafted by the Sabres and being forced to develop under the yoke of Lindy Ruff's ineptitude, that he would have been an annual 50 goal scorer and multi-MVP award winner.
That and Pommers just doesn't seem to hate Lindy enough.
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I don't get why Ruff is automatically a horrible coach if most people on here that want him fired also think the core of the team is awful. ...
The core is horrible BECAUSE Ruff is a horrible coach. Just look at all the posts referencing all the great success that every player that leaves Buffalo goes on to have. But what really drives the point home is that players like Malkin, Crosby, Ovechkin or any superstar in league history never would have had success if they played for Ruff. Simple.
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I think after the Leino tryout at center, it became pretty obvious that the organization needed to obtain a center somehow.
Kassian comes in around Thanksgiving gettting 11 or 12 minutes a game....of course there were injuries as well. But getting a 21 year old only 10-12 minutes isn't ideal at all.
I had attributed that to the injury situation. He was sent down after we got some healthy bodies back and didn't come back up again until additional injuries occurred, IIRC.
Still, it begs the question. Especially because I think you're spot on regarding how glaring the need for a center became after the failed Leino experiment. And they DID keep him up even though he wasn't doing much and could have been garnering a ton more ice time with the Amerks.
Regardless, it took a good prospect to get one. And at a position of higher critical need, too.
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I disagree with that.
It seems they are looking for him to be the dominant physical player he was in Juniors. The AHL and NHL are full of big boys and I think he's learning that he's no longer the baddest man on the block. Regardless, 'Nucks fans are expecting him to be their answer to Lucic. I believe he's gotta' be under a lot of pressure...
I don't put any stock into what the fans are expecting of him and I don't think his coaches do either. Yes, they want him to be physical, lay some heavy checks, and stick up for his teammates but they also want him to focus on developing his rare offensive potential for a player that big. If he gets distracted by fans' expectations, which are all based off his dominance in juniors, it will actually hurt the team and his development. There is no need or pressure on him to goon it up just for the sake of gooning it up. I think if he really felt that pressure, he would have answered Bissonette's invitation to fight in Phoenix. But he's smarter than that.
He's in a perfect situation in Vancouver because, with all those stars around him, he doesn't HAVE to be the straw that stirs the drink. It's not like the Canucks have been struggling without his 'presence' on the ice to begin with. That's why I think he doesn't feel any more or less pressure to do anything but what he's been doing.
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Kassian is gone because the Sabres needed a center. I don't think there will be a lot of hatred. I think he might be happy with being in Van City.
This. He's in the best situation possible and I don't think he's under any more or less pressure to be anything other than what he is: a great prospect with potential.
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That's why I went with run into Miller. He has to know that retaliation is probably only going to come from Kaleta or Ellis. If they're not on the ice together, it's a freebie...
And on top of that, Miller is playing off the charts lately. Someone needs to rattle him.. Might as well be Kass...
It'll be Weber or McNabb (assuming he gets the call for Regehr) if it's anybody.
And it won't matter if Kassian kicks anyone's ass. What will matter is, if he DOES a try to do a Lucic on Miller (and I doubt he will), that whoever is on the ice AT THE TIME, goes absolutely apesh*t on Kassian. It's the hockey equivalent of throwing yourself on a grenade. It's the code. Personally, I hope it's Gerbe because Kassian will look like more of an ass for more than just running the goalie.
And it would be one helluva poetic way to chase some of this season's demons.
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Wonder if the players will go with hodsie, hodder, codes, "g" (my fav but unlikely), or something else...
Isn't that what the Flyers call Giroux?
I like it though simply because of the irony.
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BizNasty2point0 Paul Bissonnette
Getting a lot of hate from Canucks fans. I asked 9 to fight. He said no. No big deal. 9's a good player. I'm just trying to do my job.
I think that reflects very positively on Kassian. Good for him in not taking the bait in a close game, etc. I'm sure it would have been a different story if he was on the ice and Bissonette cheap-shotted him or a teammate.
There is no question the kid can use his fists and won't back down when directly challenged. We've seen that. But that's not what being a physical player means. Not by a long shot. It's every other aspect of playing a physical game that he needs to work on while developing his promising offensive game.
I've already read a post this morning implying that Hodgson better watch out on Saturday night. Preposterous stuff.
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Excuse me! ... watch the video ... LR went ballistic and practically went for Murray on the Ottawa bench.
Again, the players reflect the coach and vise versa.
That's a fair point. Perhaps that's the vice-versa you mentioned.
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I think the players were a perfect reflection of LR during the immediate aftermath of the Lucic hit on Miller. The players sat on their hands and so did LR ... the exact opposite (both for LR and his players) of what happened immediately after the Neal hit on Drury.
My owe my how things have changed.
Ruff wasn't the one who changed. It's the players.
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I will let some others rip you apart for this ... it's not good for my disposition ... :P .
All I will say is ...
The team is a reflection of the coach and vise versa. It should not be up to LR to tell his players what to do when the Lucic incident happened.
Exactly my point. Which is precisely why they WEREN'T a reflection of Lindy Ruff at that moment.
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Not necessarily. Vancouver fans, and the NHL media in general, has been labeling Kassian as the Lucic-killer, the piece that was missing from the Canucks' run to the Stanley Cup when they got pushed around by Boston. It doesn't seem like much of a stretch then to wonder why Buffalo, an infamously soft team, would give up that kind of player when it seems like that would be the kind of player they need ('concept' or otherwise).
The Canucks should concentrate more on having a Marchand-killer because he did a helluva lot more to intimidate the Canucks than Lucic did.
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Maybe he doesn't heed them, but I highly doubt he hasn't been paying attention to the fact that the media has, post-Lucic/Miller, labeled his team as the softest in the NHL. Let alone the talk on hockey message boards. :D
Absolutely. The Lucic game was an afront to the hockey Gods. They broke the code for the whole world to see. The thing is, and I know the usual suspects may rip me for this, I think Ruff was just as surprised by the player's reaction as we were. There have been so many times in his coaching history (not to mention his playing history) where he's deliberately sent out a posse to clean up after an event on the ice. The Neal hit on Drury comes to mind. But Lucic needed to be answered IMMEDIATELY by whomever was on the ice at the time. That's what the code calls for. And Ruff couldn't do anything but watch.
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To be fair though, I'm getting a feeling that the Sabres community has turned a little Boston-ish on Kassian here. That fanbase and even officials in the organization (more than most, it seems) have a tendency to tear down some outgoing players, managers, etc. Look no further than Terry Francona and Johnny Damon.
I know Kassian's NHL stint(s) were somewhat underwhelming, but I've been somewhat shocked to see how quickly the Buffalo fanbase has turned on Kassian. Maybe it's because of the high expectations on Vancouver's end, but you'd think he was absolute trash the way some people are depicting him.
I've been reading from a few posters how fans are trashing Kassian. I've yet to see one post that does. If offering an honest critique of his play to date, which includes the good with the bad, is tanamount to trashing him, I don't know what to say. I think a lot of the sensitivity is rooted in the enormous amount of optimism we've invested in him since he was selected in the draft. It's easier for some to blame Lindy Ruff and how he's "ruined" him than come to grips with the fact that he's not yet the player we all imagined.
He's a 21 year old rookie adjusting to the NHL and he's not there yet. Just like 99% of the rookies who enter the league. It took a promising player with potential to land another with promising potential. That's all. Lets wish him well and get on with it.
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... We can just post what we saw and move on...
Moving on. What a concept.
Kassian. What a concept.
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He's looked pretty much like he's looked all year. Flashes of his great potential, especially with his ability to control the puck along the boards and he's made a couple nice passes as well. He's in a good situation in Vancouver with so much more talent around him.
I think the penalty he took a couple minutes ago was a bit unlucky. His stick got caught up in the Coyote player more than anything.
I'm not sure where they got those five hits from, either. Regardless, he's more than holding his own out there.
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Maybe you're right. I just think the kid needs to learn how to play at the professional level, not get 10 minutes per game on the 4th line. Even before the trade I wanted him down in Rochester getting 18 minutes on the top line, maybe making a playoff run in the AHL. Playing on that line might help bring out his physicality consistently, but I don't see it doing much for the rest of his game.
Well, from all the accounts I've heard from those who watched him with the Amerks, he wasn't bringing it at the AHL level, either. Never mind that Foligno has no problem whatsoever bringing his physical presence to bear every game in the form of actually looking to initiate checks and finishing them.
There are those fans who believe that toughness begins and ends with the ability to win fights. While that's all well and good, toughess means imposing your physical presence in every facet of the game every night. It's the difference between Dave Schultz and Cam Neely. Kassian has a long way to go regardless of who is coaching him. And whoever that coach is will be doing him a great disservice by insisting he goon it up every night.
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Not "implying" I'm saying it. The Kassian pick was so far outside the box for Status Quo that they had no idea what to do with him. Lindy has no idea how to coach a player like that.
This team does need some additional offensive talent, it wasn't lack of goal scoring that sent this season on the downward spiral. It was being embarrassed on a national level by Lucic.
So the Sabres made the mistake of drafting Kassian in the first place and then realized that Lindy has no idea how to coach him so they called the Canucks and made the deal because it just wasn't working out in Buffalo. It had nothing to do with the fact that in order to get a prospect of Hodgson's potential at a position of critical need it would take another prospect with equal potential. Interesting take.
There is no doubt that the Lucic incident was the seminal moment of this team's season. On that we can agree forever.
But that is a separate and far larger issue than what trading Kassian for Hodgson represents.
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Actually it's called putting a negative spin on something that many people are happy with just to ruffle a few feathers. That is his MO and it always has been. He has even admitted as much several times.
Oh, I've known GoDD for a while now from when he was just DD on the TSW and PPP boards. I think you have him pegged. He's obviously very bright and can be funny at times but his propensity to insult posters cancels that out and then some.
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Gaustad for a first was exciting.
If the Sabres would have given up a Stafford for Hodgson I would be ecstatic. Kassian represents so much of what this franchise is missing. I have real concerns for Foligno and McNabb going forward. Do they really have a future here in Buffalo or will they eventually be shipped out because they don't fit the Status Quo mold? It's a valid concern.
Are you implying that Kassian was traded because he didn't "fit the Status Quo mold?"
Some of us might argue that Hodgson represents so much MORE of what this franchise is missing.
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You've mentioned this a number of times now. Who's bashing Kassian?
From what I can gather reading his posts, both to others and in response to my own, it's not the bashing of Kassian it's the glorifying of Hodgson.
Whatever that is.
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... 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Kassian to Vancouver for Hodgson
in The Aud Club
Posted · Edited by K-9
I disagree with my premise, too. See carpandean's response to my post above.
And welcome to the board.
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Psst. Think Jason Pominville.
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