Kassian to Vancouver for Hodgson

[Taro T]

One thing I am curious about - the leak that Darcy wanted a first for Gaustad before the deadline.

Very un-Darcy like. I wonder who leaked. I have a hunch it was intentional.

Considering Pierre McGuire was stating in the early afternoon that he'd gotten a text from a GM stating 'another GM is asking for a 1st rounder for a player, I won't name his name, that's a UFA and is basically a 3rd/4th liner' (that was paraphrased, but very close to what he actually said) I'd guess that the leaker was the GM that had waffled a few times on whether to bite on the deal or not. As it was abundantly clear at the time McGuire made the statement that the player HAD to be Gaustad.

[K-9]

GoDD, both Gaustad and Kassian were on THIS team THIS year. Where was this toughness ? Where was this grittiness? Where was the leadership that these two exhibited? I never saw it. You can't lose something you never had in the first place. If Kassian was the kind of player we wish he was he would have made damn sure he went after any Bruin, didn't even have to be Lucic. in any game he was in the line up against them. We didn't get that from him and I do not believe that Ruff was stifling his physical ability. Kassian just doesn't have it.

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict that Lindy Ruff deliberately coached it out of them.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[Sabres Fan in NS]

What is Team Stormcloud actually, in more that two sentences, without the spin, in another thread?

 

Welcome to the board.

 

If you have a few moments go to the members list and search for Ghost of Dwight Drane, DeLuca67, or myself (there may be some others as well). Then click on find content and read a few posts from any of us. That will give you a good idea.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Sabres Fan In NS

[thesportsbuff]

At least you are sharp enough to figure it out.

 

The point being, I don't care if people want to feel they have a great asset in Hodgson. I hope he is. It is the psychological NEED to feel so validated by doing something, that people have to bash Kasian....a 20yo big body.....for being some sort of failure, when in actuality his career has started out much better than Hodgson, even being a year younger. The same people that will beg us to forgive Tyler Myers for not playing physical "yet" because he needs to "grow into himself", feel the NEED to villify Kassian who is younger and has 150+ games less experience than Myers as some sort of talentless filler. Don't worry though.....we can't possibly think of moving Myers in any deal because he sure as shinola is going to be the next Chara. But Kassian? Pffffttt!!! What a loser! They guy only caved in 2 guys faces in fights and scored 3 goals in his first 6 games while it took Hodgson 29 games to score that many.

 

People have strange psychies.......NOT ONCE did I say this was a horrible deal. Once we figured out Nashville gave a 2012 1st and Buff a 2013 4th....I said that was a good deal. All I ever have done with these deals is point out that of the Sabres 3 biggest needs......1)Heart+Toughness 2)Leadership 3)Centers.....the Sabres gained ground on one and lost ground in 2.

 

Hodgson is a young, talented center who can play now and contribute offense while some day he may become a #1 ceneter type. Hype him all you want. A team that was seconds away from winning a Stanley Cup however feels that Kassian and Gragnani increase their chances of getting the job done right this year over Hodgson. I don't take that lightly.

 

 

I know you're not talking specifically to me, but just to defend my stance a little bit, I haven't "bashed" Kassian one bit. I wrote in my blog and probably on here somewhere that he hasn't lived up to the hype regarding his physical game, that's all. I would not be shocked one bit if Kassian becomes a pretty dominant power forward in the league. But I still think it's a good trade. There doesn't always have to be a winner or loser. Vancouver is getting some toughness and potential future captain in their return, Buffalo is getting a skilled center and potential in their return. Both teams addressed a need.

 

Yes. The great mighty Canucks who were seconds away from winning the cup felt that Kassian and Gragnani were the missing ingredients to their cup team-- you know, "Adding Final Ingredients", item number 52 on the list of steps to build a Stanley Cup contender. The Sabres are on like, step 5 of that list, which is acquiring young #1 and #2 centers to build around. Maybe Hodgson doesn't turn into the #1 center, but he seems a sure to bet to be a great #2 as a worst-case scenario.

 

Clearly those same Canucks who came seconds away from winning the Stanley Cup feel that adding a tough, rugged forward and a young offensive defenseman was the absolute FINAL piece of the puzzle. One of the LAST steps of the process. Not pieces to build around, but pieces to compliment their team.

 

Maybe when Buffalo wins a playoff series or two they can worry about adding toughness and "tweaking" their lineup. Right now I'm more interested in the #1/2 center to build around.

Edited February 28, 2012 by thesportsbuff

[I am Defecting]

I'm new here, but big respect to you SDS from my time lurking. OT, what, WHAT?! I thought Ennis was a good center!

 

Sorry, that's irrelavant now, and confusing since it wasn't even directed to SDS. Anyway I got the message.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Yuri Olesha

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Yet, everything being reported about Cody is in fact he has a ton of potential in the leadership department. Many fans were counting on him being captain in a few years. Yet you dismiss it out of hand. I don't recall waiving the Gausted leadership flag in recent years and no one has ever put forth the argument that Kassian was going to fill that roll, so really you are skewing your facts to suit your needs.

 

 

 

Toronto Maple Leaf fans.

 

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.

[nobody]

Considering Pierre McGuire was stating in the early afternoon that he'd gotten a text from a GM stating 'another GM is asking for a 1st rounder for a player, I won't name his name, that's a UFA and is basically a 3rd/4th liner' (that was paraphrased, but very close to what he actually said) I'd guess that the leaker was the GM that had waffled a few times on whether to bite on the deal or not. As it was abundantly clear at the time McGuire made the statement that the player HAD to be Gaustad.

 

Obviously that GM was trying to get the price reduced by leaking those statements to McGuire. Throw a little negative in the air and see if he could get Darcy to back down to a 2nd.

[SDS]

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.

 

Looks like you dodged my point. You claim we got weaker in leadership. That must be because you thought Gausted was an important leader on this team, a team that you routinely run down for a lack of leadership and claim that it is one of the biggest needs WITH Gausted still here. I don't recall you touting Gausted's leadership role. Did I miss that?

 

If you want to totally disregard Cody's leadership potential - that's fine, but calling the situation a downgrade is just suiting your rant and not supported by your previous opinions or by the realities of this team.

[Robviously]

All I ever have done with these deals is point out that of the Sabres 3 biggest needs......1)Heart+Toughness 2)Leadership 3)Centers.....the Sabres gained ground on one and lost ground in 2.

1. Heart and Toughness are two different things. Drury and Briere both had heart but not "toughness" in the sense that you mean. We lost toughness in moving Kassian but we have toughness on the way with Foligno, McNabb, and Tropp taking on full time roles between now and next fall.

2. Leadership. I don't see how we lost any leadership. Kassian was never talked about for leadership skills. Gaustad was considered a team leader, but that was during the five seasons where the Sabres were horribly inconsistent and couldn't be bothered to show up many nights. Or hold a lead. Hodgson has been praised for his leadership and was the team captain of the last Canadian team to win the WJC. The WJC are a national event in Canada and being named captain of that team is a real honor. At worst, this is a push for leadership and it has the potential to be a huge gain.

3. Centers. We added our best young center since Briere.

[shrader]

What is Team Stormcloud actually, in more that two sentences, without the spin, in another thread?

 

Some people need to come up with a label for themselves. It's completely unnecessary and only serves to sever the place into a few different cliques.

[SDS]

1. Heart and Toughness are two different things. Drury and Briere both had heart but not "toughness" in the sense that you mean. We lost toughness in moving Kassian but we have toughness on the way with Foligno, McNabb, and Tropp taking on full time roles between now and next fall.

 

You need to see the constant massaging of the data here. See, Kassian was counted in the toughness column, despite being a Rochester guy. We lost him and the next one on GoDD's list was Gerbe... because the Rochester guys no longer count because that makes for a weaker case.

 

You can't say you need three things, claim you improved on one, have gained a ton of potential in another, and lost some in a 3rd and still be able to rant as vociferously. So, you just massage the data and crank it out.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I have a hard time hearing who is who.

 

Another thing I am taking out of this week.....Gaustad will probably be the next captain. Roby was setting up a ballwashing last night, and Pegula mentioned him as a leader the first thing out of his mouth.

That would make the kid fall apart.

 

Sad thing is....there still is no REAL captain on this team.

 

Vanek....maybe someday

Gaustad circa 2007

Montador leaving shortly

Pominville....he can date my sister, not lead my team

X and Carp can go into a dimly lit closet together for 10 minutes with this info.

 

Faceoffs

 

 

I agree with his last statement.

 

 

Faceoffs come into play every now and then, but they aren't as important as a change of possesion during the flow of play in my opinion. Everyone is ready for a faceoff. Chaos theory comes into play during a turnover. People are out of position, have to react in an instant. It is the same reason why Ben Rothlisburger is a great QB and Brian Brohm isn't. They have the same tools....and Brohm can look great on a 5 step drop and quick release on a planned 12 yard out.....but when things aren't perfectly planned and things don't go as planned, he is worthless....while a guy like Rothlisburger feels the play and can improvise on a breakdown, keeping many of his skills up to snuff on the fly.

 

Gaustad could have been a really nice all around player, but Lindy ruined him. I was convinced Gaustad would be a captain a few years ago. Instead, he was taken away from his physical instinctive role in front of the net, and was turned into another Sabre fitness guru who needs to think defense first. It's a shame because he could have been an intimidating 200 goal scorer in this league.

Looks like you dodged my point. You claim we got weaker in leadership. That must be because you thought Gausted was an important leader on this team, a team that you routinely run down for a lack of leadership and claim that it is one of the biggest needs WITH Gausted still here. I don't recall you touting Gausted's leadership role. Did I miss that?

 

If you want to totally disregard Cody's leadership potential - that's fine, but calling the situation a downgrade is just suiting your rant and not supported by your previous opinions or by the realities of this team.

[SDS]

Some people need to come up with a label for themselves. It's completely unnecessary and only serves to sever the place into a few different cliques.

 

It doesn't even have any relevance anymore, since clearly everyone is on board with a shakeup of this team. No one here is claiming everything is all right.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Let's see what Ruff does with Hodgson's "potential"

[Taro T]

Obviously that GM was trying to get the price reduced by leaking those statements to McGuire. Throw a little negative in the air and see if he could get Darcy to back down to a 2nd.

True.

 

But it goes back to answer the question as to whether DR leaked the request for a #1 or if somebody else leaked it. It seems pretty clear that it wasn't DR. My guess is that the leaker was most likely the GM that was originally wavering on consumating that deal but ultimately backed out, or if not him, Burke got wind of it and texted it to McGuire.

[shrader]

Looks like you dodged my point. You claim we got weaker in leadership. That must be because you thought Gausted was an important leader on this team, a team that you routinely run down for a lack of leadership and claim that it is one of the biggest needs WITH Gausted still here. I don't recall you touting Gausted's leadership role. Did I miss that?

 

I think you missed the biggest detail of all. There some deep down psychological reason for liking this deal. If you're of right mind, you can't possibly like the trade. So there you have it, only the mentally unstable like the trade.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

You need to see the constant massaging of the data here. See, Kassian was counted in the toughness column, despite being a Rochester guy. We lost him and the next one on GoDD's list was Gerbe... because the Rochester guys no longer count because that makes for a weaker case.

 

You can't say you need three things, claim you improved on one, have gained a ton of potential in another, and lost some in a 3rd and still be able to rant as vociferously. So, you just massage the data and crank it out.

 

What am I ranting against?

 

I am ranting against POSTERS.....not a trade made. You are the one pigenholing.

 

Find one post I made where I said it was a horrible trade.....go ahead.

[carpandean]

that people have to bash Kasian....a 20yo big body.....for being some sort of failure, when in actuality his career has started out much better than Hodgson, even being a year younger.

 

Kassian has 322 TOI this season, recording 3G and 4A. In his first 322 minutes TOI, Hodgson had 4G 4A. :nana:

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I think you missed the biggest detail of all. There some deep down psychological reason for liking this deal. If you're of right mind, you can't possibly like the trade. So there you have it, only the mentally unstable like the trade.

 

Where do I say it is a bad trade?

 

I am talking about people bashing Kassian......at the same time the same people have been feeding me excuses for Myers not developing his physical game "as of yet"

[SDS]

a bunch of quotes...

 

all of which are lamenting the "Concept of Paul Gausted" and what could have been. Which didn't pan out and you just reaffirmed that you don't think he is the leader he could have been. Yet you proclaim we lost something that never materialized.

[wnyguy]

Let's see what Ruff does with Hodgson's "potential"

 

Well how did he do with Briere's potential? Or Drury's? Or Brian Cambells?

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Kassian has 322 TOI this season, recording 3G and 4A. In his first 322 minutes TOI, Hodgson had 4G 4A. :nana:

 

Where can you find time on ice stats without going through each boxscore?

 

You funny.... :P

 

Don't make me pull out the....

 

"But he got to play with the Sedins"........or "He only scored because he had the worst defense pairing on the other team matchup with him".........

[Sabres Fan in NS]

True.

 

But it goes back to answer the question as to whether DR leaked the request for a #1 or if somebody else leaked it. It seems pretty clear that it wasn't DR. My guess is that the leaker was most likely the GM that was originally wavering on consumating that deal but ultimately backed out, or if not him, Burke got wind of it and texted it to McGuire.

 

Who cares about the leaked request for a #1, or who leaked it.

 

I will say again ...

 

What secured the #1 for Goose was the fact that it became known that the team was in the process of working out an extension for Goose. Without that DR would have not had any hope of getting a #1 for Goose. End of story.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

all of which are lamenting the "Concept of Paul Gausted" and what could have been. Which didn't pan out and you just reaffirmed that you don't think he is the leader he could have been. Yet you proclaim we lost something that never materialized.

 

Again....find me one time where I say Hodgson is a bad player or the trade was horrible.

[Taro T]

Who cares about the leaked request for a #1, or who leaked it.

 

I will say again ...

 

What secured the #1 for Goose was the fact that it became known that the team was in the process of working out an extension for Goose. Without that DR would have not had any hope of getting a #1 for Goose. End of story.

Umm, the poster that asked the original question, perhaps? :unsure: