Kassian to Vancouver for Hodgson

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Well, that's what the Mayan's predicted. Drane bases his on the Book of Revelation, at least from what I can gather from his posts in 2008. I'm pretty sure he's a big fan of the movie, 'The Late Great Planet Earth' as well.

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

I think it comes down to reading comprehension. I was begging people in late '07 and early '08 to protect themselves from the imminent collapse of the banking system. I was being made fun of as I said there were trillions of dollars on the books that money would have to be printed for because it was worthless. I was made fun of for that, and projected that when the system finally does collapse, it is pure end of the world stuff given our technology, weaponry, and status. This is when everyone was in sunshine land.....before any of the events like Bear, Lehman, TARP, Tea Party, Zerohedge, Occupy Wall St., the Dow going from 13K to 6K, Gold going from 700 to 1900, etc. took place. Trying to be honest about the pending financial carnage and being attacked was a huge eye opener for me. It helped me learn much about human psychology, and it is why I can fully understand peoples' hold of entertainment value with the Sabres through forms of denial. The few at the time that understood what I was saying and followed through are quite happy I am sure. I feel great pity for those who have suffered financially and fret even moreso for EVERYONE who is slowly adjusting to a new standard of living and will have the rug pulled even further out from under them in the near future.

 

The Sabres are a pimple on an elephant's butt compared to the damage that was done and will be done. I made a choice back then to be honest and try to convey knowledge. There was not an organized form of warning from reputable websites like today. It has all been about hanging on to any sense of normalcy as the deckchairs on the Titanic are rearranged and the 1st class passengers have fled on the lifeboats. I give the government credit for one thing, and in retrospect understand why warning so drastically was looked down upon. If people truly understood where things are...it would be over. At least some sense of normalcy has carried on to this point. I just find it appaling that honest people get rammed, and those behind the scenes get made whole and have zero downside risk.

 

You have always been astute. If you followed the whole thing I know you understood where I was coming from. A parobolic rise in technology and population can only go on for so long.....just like a parabolic rise in record can only go on so long before things need to go "poof" and normalize.....just ask the Sabres.

 

Sorry about the hijack, but considering a few here brought it up.......

 

So how were the WGR interviews different? The fans themselves were able to ask those questions, and the team management was able to spin their answers just like they would if TBN, WGR, and other media staffers were asking them.

 

I would love to challenge Ted Black to a debate on GR. GR lets only the calls get through that they want. The call screener even tweeted that he was mad someone lied to him with a fake question then asked Black something different. I think it was Dan Cave.

 

But is that really a bad thing? This guy is young and IIRC has won a WJC gold medal and has garnered a ton of personnal hardware throughout his junior career. Don't these guys when they're young and get to the championship game (in any sport) expect to be back several times before their career is through? Him wanting to be the guy to lead the team, provided he's willing to put in the work to do it as TAS said, is a good thing.

 

And how did his wanting more ice time (and by extension taking ice time away from Kessler &/or Sedin) get translated to rather having it on a lousy team? From what I've read about him, he's had the ice time on some pretty good teams. Maybe he wants to win, but wants to be an important piece of the victory rather than just a filler?

 

Isn't a large part of the current Sabres' problem, guys like Derek Roy ARE leaders on this team? Hodgson seems, on the surface, to be the antithesis of what Roy appears to be.

 

Everyone wants more ice time.

 

When you are the cause of headaches for your team because of constant whining and interference.....then say you want to be traded from the best team in the league.....by definition that is a selfish player.

 

I've played lead trumpet in many bands......but my most rewarding experiences came with playing 2nd and 4th trumpet with one of the better bands in the land. I would do that 100 out of 100 times. You appreciate the talent around you and you support those ahead of you with your own talents and making it the most kick-ass thing going.

 

Hodgson just went from 3rd trumpet in the Tonight Show Band to lead trumpet at ECC.

[spndnchz]

You are the destructor of vibrational stagnation, the death of synthetic constructs & the demands of truth.

[Fire Lindy Ruff NOW]

You are the destructor of vibrational stagnation, the death of synthetic constructs & the demands of truth.

sounds like some shakespeare stuff right here.

[K-9]

sounds like some shakespeare stuff right here.

 

As far as the death of synthetic constructs and demands of the truth? Yes. Very Shakespearean. chz can bring the prose when she decides to.

 

As for vibrational stagnation? Sounds like a battery problem.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[Fire Lindy Ruff NOW]

As far as the death of synthetic constructs and demands of the truth? Yes. Very Shakespearean. chz can bring the prose when she decides to.

 

As for vibrational stagnation? Sounds like a battery problem.

 

GO SABRES!!!

battery problem? ahahahahahaha!

[Taro T]

...

 

Everyone wants more ice time.

 

When you are the cause of headaches for your team because of constant whining and interference.....then say you want to be traded from the best team in the league.....by definition that is a selfish player.

 

I've played lead trumpet in many bands......but my most rewarding experiences came with playing 2nd and 4th trumpet with one of the better bands in the land. I would do that 100 out of 100 times. You appreciate the talent around you and you support those ahead of you with your own talents and making it the most kick-ass thing going.

 

Hodgson just went from 3rd trumpet in the Tonight Show Band to lead trumpet at ECC.

Perhaps he did, I doubt it, but perhaps he did.

 

This team isn't as far away as missing the playoffs would indicate. They need at least 1 more center and a power forward. Ideally, they'd also get a 2nd center. That is assuming Roy is moved (and if he isn't, I still say they need all of the above). But they have assets that can be moved to fill those roles. Assets they didn't have heading into last off-season. Roy will be worth more this off-season than he would have last year coming off 1 poor game after missing ~45. They've got an extra pick in each of the 1st 2 rounds. Though I'd prefer to see the D stay intact, it isn't a realistic option if the forwards are to be upgraded; this year D #4 & 5 are named Leopold & Sekera, last year those slots would have gone to some combination of Butler, Weber, Gragnani, or Morrissonn. They've got prospects and an owner willing to bury cash near the banks of the Genessee if necessary to bring an asset to the Mmarena.

 

This team COULD be a contender in 2 years and if they are Cody will likely be an integral part of that. In 2 years in Van-city, Cody would likely still be stuck behind 2 all-stars.

 

It doesn't seem that Cody was taking issue with playing 2nd trumpet in the 'Nuck brass ensemble, but he didn't want to be there at 4th for the next 4 years. Would you? Would you knowing that by staying 4th in Doc Severenson's or Louie Armstrong's or Chuck Mangione's (yeah, I know, flugelhorn, but close enough) or some no-name's band you were passing up your opportunity to make your name?

[X. Benedict]

Personally, I find just the fact a guy on a team of 20 who came within 1 goal of winning the Stanley Cup and who was a good player on a President's Trophy team....not my cup of tea if he thinks he's so special that he cares more about ice time on a crappy team than winning when slotted behind a perennial MVP candidate and one of the best 2 way centers in the game in Sedin and Kessler.

 

So you question whether or not the Sabres did due diligence getting Hodgson?

I think they probably knew the issues.

 

I am sure there are people in Vancouver questioning whether or not Gillis did his due diligence given Kassian's history, and recent scratching.

 

I still like the trade on a purely hockey level.

 

Kassian might end up in jail someday, and Hodgson might be a serial whiner. But neither might happen as well.

These kids mature.

[Fire Lindy Ruff NOW]

So you question whether or not the Sabres did due diligence getting Hodgson?

I think they probably knew the issues.

 

I am sure there are people in Vancouver questioning whether or not Gillis did his due diligence given Kassian's history, and recent scratching.

 

I still like the trade on a purely hockey level.

 

Kassian might end up in jail someday, and Hodgson might be a serial whiner. But neither might happen as well.

These kids mature.

exactly. everyone has their moments of weakness, but we are all humans.

[spndnchz]

As far as the death of synthetic constructs and demands of the truth? Yes. Very Shakespearean. chz can bring the prose when she decides to.

 

As for vibrational stagnation? Sounds like a battery problem.

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

Actually changes in the geomagnetic field but thanks for reminding me!

 

Siri? batteries.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Perhaps he did, I doubt it, but perhaps he did.

 

This team COULD be a contender in 2 years and if they are Cody will likely be an integral part of that. In 2 years in Van-city, Cody would likely still be stuck behind 2 all-stars.

 

It doesn't seem that Cody was taking issue with playing 2nd trumpet in the 'Nuck brass ensemble, but he didn't want to be there at 4th for the next 4 years. Would you? Would you knowing that by staying 4th in Doc Severenson's or Louie Armstrong's or Chuck Mangione's (yeah, I know, flugelhorn, but close enough) or some no-name's band you were passing up your opportunity to make your name?

 

If he made a move in free agency and weighed his options on who could give him the best chance to win and excel.....then I can respect that. The guy ran interference on the team and whined about being on the best team in the league. To me that shows weakness and selfishness, not confidence. He had no choice where he would end up...could have been Columbus. I'm sure Gillis probably tried Columbus from the sounds of things.

 

As for the band analogy, that is for each person to decide. When you are 4th trumpet playing with the Tonight Show Band, people know those ahead of you are monsters, and if anything, by definition your rep may be INFLATED, not looked at as a no-name. You don't think some of that might be happening here? He was surrounded by some top talent and got some free riding I'm sure. Now the pressure will be on to carry a team in the near future.

 

What if Andrej Sekera bugged Lindy and Darcy all year because he wasn't getting 25 minutes......and went to his own doctors while shunning the team, didn't show up for camp, and complained he was stuck behind Myers, Ehrhoff and Regher??? He would rather play 1st pairing minutes in Columbus than be the #4/5 in Buffalo. How do you think the reaction here would be from people?

[X. Benedict]

My question would be why as a GM, was Gillis spending most of his time with a rookie already under contract?

 

The kid had no leverage at all.

 

What ever happened to "Earn your time kid."

 

It might have been just an agent problem.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

So you question whether or not the Sabres did due diligence getting Hodgson?

I think they probably knew the issues.

 

 

I'm sure they knew his Corsi number!

 

Did you read the stat where in January the team went from deploying him in the offensive zone from 33% of the time to 83% of the time? That stunned me. It also makes Gillis look honest when he said they built him up in order to trade him.

 

Who knows how it all will work out. We just have one heck of a story to chew on in my opinion.

[darksabre]

My question would be why as a GM, was Gillis spending most of his time with a rookie already under contract?

 

The kid had no leverage at all.

 

What ever happened to "Earn your time kid."

 

It might have been just an agent problem.

 

I really just believe what Gillis was saying about wanting to get tougher. I think they fully expected to be in the Finals against Boston again this year and that they'd need someone like Kassian to add some grit since they let Torres go. If moving Hodgson was the price he felt like paying, then "earn your time" doesn't really matter. Of course now we know that he very well would have earned his time when Daniel went down, but Gillis couldn't have foreseen that.

 

Kid might have wanted a trade, but I'm sure he would have been willing to put his time in as well. He had to this year in Buffalo and he may have to next year. His situation doesn't inherently change if we enter next season with Roy and Ennis on the roster. He's back in Vancouver East by that scenario unless Roy somehow plays himself down to the 3rd line job, in which case I'd think he'd want out.

 

I can't blame the kid for recognizing that he wasn't going to get out from behind Daniel and Kesler any time soon. A smart man goes where opportunity is.

[TrueBlueGED]

For all this talk about how Hodgson just went from the Tonight Show Band to ECC....the Tonight Show Band played a whopping 5 more games. I'm pretty sure that if the Sabres won the Presidents' Trophy and then bombed out of the 1st round in 5 games, those who are currently trumpeting Vancouver as being some superior franchise (and not just here, in the media too) would be absolutely skewering Buffalo.

[deluca67]

I really just believe what Gillis was saying about wanting to get tougher. I think they fully expected to be in the Finals against Boston again this year and that they'd need someone like Kassian to add some grit since they let Torres go. If moving Hodgson was the price he felt like paying, then "earn your time" doesn't really matter. Of course now we know that he very well would have earned his time when Daniel went down, but Gillis couldn't have foreseen that.

 

Kid might have wanted a trade, but I'm sure he would have been willing to put his time in as well. He had to this year in Buffalo and he may have to next year. His situation doesn't inherently change if we enter next season with Roy and Ennis on the roster. He's back in Vancouver East by that scenario unless Roy somehow plays himself down to the 3rd line job, in which case I'd think he'd want out.

 

I can't blame the kid for recognizing that he wasn't going to get out from behind Daniel and Kesler any time soon. A smart man goes where opportunity is.

The kid asked to be traded from a Stanley Cup contender, that tells me what is more important to him.

[darksabre]

 

The kid asked to be traded from a Stanley Cup contender, that tells me what is more important to him.

 

Maybe last year was enough for him? Everyone else here pretends to know how the story ends so maybe he was expecting this year to be more of the same. He would have been right.

[deluca67]

For all this talk about how Hodgson just went from the Tonight Show Band to ECC....the Tonight Show Band played a whopping 5 more games. I'm pretty sure that if the Sabres won the Presidents' Trophy and then bombed out of the 1st round in 5 games, those who are currently trumpeting Vancouver as being some superior franchise (and not just here, in the media too) would be absolutely skewering Buffalo.

There is a great deal of respect out there for the Kings. Quick is taking his place as one of the best young goalies in the game and has people looking at the Kings differently.

 

Maybe last year was enough for him? Everyone else here pretends to know how the story ends so maybe he was expecting this year to be more of the same. He would have been right.

How could last year be "enough?" Not sure what you mean there?

[X. Benedict]

The kid asked to be traded from a Stanley Cup contender, that tells me what is more important to him.

Is there any source that says he asked to be traded?

 

Gillis never said it. I think what he said was worse though

 

 

This piece pretty much said the opposite:

 

"Cody Hodgson is adamant he had not asked for a trade from the Canucks and was surprised to leave the NHL team in a trade with Buffalo that reconfigured both teams on Monday.

Hodgson, 22 was swapped along with spare-part defenceman Alexander Sulzer to the Sabres near the NHL trade deadline for unproven power winger Zack Kassian, 21, and extra defenceman Marc-Andre Gragnani.

“I was as shocked as anyone,” Hodgson told The Province on Monday evening. “I didn’t see it coming. I really like the city and the fans and the guys are great. But I understand it’s a business and I’m moving on to a new opportunity.”

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/02/28/cody-hodgson-denies-he-asked-canucks-for-trade/

Edited April 25, 2012 by X. Benedict

[Taro T]

If he made a move in free agency and weighed his options on who could give him the best chance to win and excel.....then I can respect that. The guy ran interference on the team and whined about being on the best team in the league. To me that shows weakness and selfishness, not confidence. He had no choice where he would end up...could have been Columbus. I'm sure Gillis probably tried Columbus from the sounds of things.

 

As for the band analogy, that is for each person to decide. When you are 4th trumpet playing with the Tonight Show Band, people know those ahead of you are monsters, and if anything, by definition your rep may be INFLATED, not looked at as a no-name. You don't think some of that might be happening here? He was surrounded by some top talent and got some free riding I'm sure. Now the pressure will be on to carry a team in the near future.

 

What if Andrej Sekera bugged Lindy and Darcy all year because he wasn't getting 25 minutes......and went to his own doctors while shunning the team, didn't show up for camp, and complained he was stuck behind Myers, Ehrhoff and Regher??? He would rather play 1st pairing minutes in Columbus than be the #4/5 in Buffalo. How do you think the reaction here would be from people?

To the 1st bolded: If he did ask out of Vancouver and had he ended up w/ Columbus, it would have been a life lesson: be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. You're young kid, file that one away in the 'bad idea' departments. That would be the most likely outcome in that scenario. But, who's to say that Columbus won't turn it around over the course of his career? The Devils had never reached 90 points in their history in ANY of their prior incarnations and then 2 years later were champs. The Isles had been in the Finals 5 consecutive years running and were a model franchise. Since, they've never topped 100 points and have been pretty much the model for how NOT to run a franchise. I'm sure an Isles fan crying in his beer in '84 would have told you that you were crazy if you told him that '93 when they finished with a whopping 87 points would be their last legit shot to win Lord Stanley's Chalice in over a quarter century.

 

But, somehow I doubt that the 'Nucks were the best team in the league though. The top team doesn't often get dumped in 5 by an 8. ;)

 

To the 2nd. I was trying to stay w/in the framework of your analogy, which was difficult because somehow I don't see the #2 trumpet on the TSB getting bumped to ECC to move up the ladder. ;) I do agree w/ the bolded. He appears to have made his decision. I'm interested in seeing how it plays out.

[TrueBlueGED]

There is a great deal of respect out there for the Kings. Quick is taking his place as one of the best young goalies in the game and has people looking at the Kings differently.

 

Not going to disagree with any of that, but it's really irrelevant for what I said. If the Sabres had a Hart winner, Hart finalist, Selke winner, consecutive Presidents' Trophies, coming off of a season losing in game 7 of the Finals....and they got bounced out in 5 games to an 8 seed? They would be getting thoroughly crushed by most, but the pre-existing critics in particular. Yet it happens to Vancouver, and they're still treated as a sparkling franchise by the same people who would crush the Sabres in identical circumstances.

[drnkirishone]

I am waiting for Drain to ask how many Smurfs Cody has killed and how many smurf berries each smurf life is worth.

 

And yes I called you Drain. Cause your posts in this thread alone has made you unworthy of the simple matter of spelling your name correctly compared to how i picture it

[Eleven]

On many nights in Vancouver this year, Cody was parked on the 4th line although he had come through in some very big games for the Canucks. He seemed to play well in the big games.

 

I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been to be playing 4th line minutes, while Kesler was clearly not himself and Mason Raymond was "just happy to be able to walk again" playing ahead of him.

 

I have zero issues if he's got an ego, and in fact I hope he does. As long as he's not a prikc to people then that's fine with me. I want a confident player who is young and believes he can be a difference maker.

 

Gillis getting ripped by many for the under bus throwing of Cody but that's not important. What's important is that Cody has another side to him and that's the "I'll show you Vancouver" side.

 

Great post & thanks for the insight.

 

I STILL think Kass might be great, and Cody might be great, and each of them might not. It's way too early to judge this trade, and Gillis only had to do so because his PT team got crushed by LA.

[darksabre]

 

There is a great deal of respect out there for the Kings. Quick is taking his place as one of the best young goalies in the game and has people looking at the Kings differently.

 

 

How could last year be "enough?" Not sure what you mean there?

 

He saw the inner workings of the locker room. Maybe he knew they wouldn't get it done this year or ever.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I am waiting for Drain to ask how many Smurfs Cody has killed and how many smurf berries each smurf life is worth.

 

And yes I called you Drain. Cause your posts in this thread alone has made you unworthy of the simple matter of spelling your name correctly compared to how i picture it

 

Well aren't you a regular ol' Danny Greene

 

I don't see Cody as a violent type. Last I saw he was on the floor, in a pink shirt, drinking a Shirley Temple as he played with a toddlers plastic stick. That's "C" material if I've ever seen.

[bunomatic]

The thread that just keeps on giving. This is some interesting conversation to say the least and highly enjoyable. Thanks peeps.