By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

ast Monday, GM Mike Gillis
Lex a trade with the

Buffalo Sabres organization
that could either go down as the
worst trade in Canucks history—
next to the Cam Neely trade to
the Boston Bruins—or one of the
best and smartest ones to date.
There will likely be no common
ground unless both players, Cody
Hodgson and Zack Kassian,

dwindle into mere fourth-line
players who play eight minutes

a game. Highly unlikely, I know.
A risky move by Gillis that will
either make him look like a genius
mad professor in a chemistry lab
or a dumbfounded fool that just
gave away our golden boy.

Only time will tell which team
really came out as the clear winner
from this trade.

Initially, when one looks at
this move, you can’t help but feel
frustrated. This guy spends several
years developing in the minor
leagues since being drafted by
the Canucks in 2008; he’s the one
prospect that has a sure promise
in the Canucks organization in
becoming a top-six forward; and in
his first full season as a Canuck he
racks up 33 points in 63 games and
lands NHL rookie of the month in
January. And we're getting rid of
him why exactly?

It just doesn’t make sense,
until you take a look at it from
another perspective. Hodgson
is on the rise in becoming a top-
six forward, whether he is at
that stage now is a whole other
argument, but the point is that he
is 22 years old and will only get
better with years to come. In the
Canucks lineup he was playing
as a third-line centerman behind
Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler,
who have both undoubtedly
proven their talent and worth
with this organization in the
NHL. Both Kesler and Sedin, as
the number one and number two
centers on the Canucks, are at
their peaks in their career, and at
ages 27 and 31 respectively they
still have a number of years left in

V.

 

them before the dreaded ‘R’ word
creeps into their lives. That’s right,
retirement.

So, with both centers locked
away with what looks like the rest
of their playing careers with the
Vancouver Canucks that didn’t
really give a whole lot of wiggle
room and potential future playing
time for Hodgson, who has proven
thus far that he is better than a
third-line checking forward. The
almost exact circumstance that

“Overall, Kassian is a tougher, stronger and bigger player that the Canucks
oh so desperately needed in their lineup, who will keep opponents second
guessing and always on their toes when he’s out on the ice.’

backup goaltender Cory Schneider
will be going through in the off-
season when the final year on his
contract is up.

With trading Hodgson at
the trade deadline and not in the
off-season this summer, Gillis
arguably gets the best value for
the forward who was starting to
slow down as he only had three
points (two goals and one assist)
in his final 13 games as a Canuck.
Gillis also gets Kassian in return,
who in his three games that he has
played with the Canucks so far has
shown a lot of upside—especially
on the second line last game with
Kesler and David Booth where he
scored a goal and an assist against
who other than his former team
and former goalie, Ryan Miller.
He’s also six-foot-three, 225 Ibs,
and 21 years old... a lot bigger than
Hodgson’s six-foot frame and 185
Ibs.

Overall, Kassian is a tougher,
stronger and bigger player that the
Canucks oh so desperately needed
in their lineup, who will keep
opponents second guessing and
always on their toes when he’s out
on the ice. And, most importantly,
Coach Alain Vigneault can throw
him anywhere in the lineup—
whether it’s on the fourth line
with Manny Malhotra and Maxim
Lapierre, or up on the top line,
playing with the Sedins—this
guy can adapt and play with
whomever.

He already has the upper
hand on Hodgson since the big
trade, with two points to Cody’s
zero in three games. So, the
pressure is really now on Hodgson
in Buffalo and whether he can

Sports.

 

produce as a second-line center on
a team that is 11th in the
standings.

It’s hard to say, as of right
now, if it was a smart move on
Gillis’ part. They want to be the
best team that they can possibly
be, right now, to win a Stanley
Cup. And with this trade along
with the addition of checking
line center, Sami Pahlsson, the
Canucks believe that they are now

@ Zack Kassian
a

— GMM CAS LOI. CS Mike Gillis: ingenious, or a complete idiot? |

a stronger team than they were
before the trade deadline.

All of the questions will be
answered in the playoffs this
spring, judging solely on the
performance and success of the
Canucks and whether or not they
can finally bring home the big
prize. Only a month until the race
begins!

 

 

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