Hodgson question...

[lifeisruff]

Greetings Canuck fans, I hope your enjoying Kassian. Hodgson fits like a glove on our top line. That being said, he has some defective parts. Namely his defensive game, leads the league in goals against while on the ice. And its not just a weird concidence, his play reflects those numbers.
I always thought that Hodgson was supposed to be a "smart hockey player" and a future two way center. What gives?

Click to read more...

 

[the beat]

He was good defensively in junior, but he was bad in his own end in Vancouver too. We all just assumed he would put it together at both ends of the rink in time. At the moment Kassian has the clear edge defensively.

 

[petrishriekandgo]

Greetings Canuck fans, I hope your enjoying Kassian. Hodgson fits like a glove on our top line. That being said, he has some defective parts. Namely his defensive game, leads the league in goals against while on the ice. And its not just a weird concidence, his play reflects those numbers.
I always thought that Hodgson was supposed to be a "smart hockey player" and a future two way center. What gives?

I'm thinking quickness... he doesn't have that in tight quickness BUT no worries. The Sedins didn't have it either and they've improved... still, they're possibly our two worst defensive forwards though they've been much better this year.

 

[Tiranis]

Was horrible defensively in the AHL too. I don't know that it's just skating, I'm pretty sure it isn't. He cheats a lot to get out of the zone early and seems to treat defensive play as an afterthought. I think it's a matter of getting him to respect that part of the game more so than a matter of teaching him.

 

[AmazingNuck]

You can teach defense, but you can't teach size or speed. Hodgson's small and slow.

 

[ZenMaster*]

I'm thinking quickness... he doesn't have that in tight quickness BUT no worries. The Sedins didn't have it either and they've improved... still, they're possibly our two worst defensive forwards though they've been much better this year.

Sedins are very good defensively, they're smarts allowed them to get the puck out of the defensive zone very quickly because their "soccer style" play. they used to PK very well until AV decided to exclusively use them as offensive players.

 

[AmazingNuck]

I'm thinking quickness... he doesn't have that in tight quickness BUT no worries. The Sedins didn't have it either and they've improved... still, they're possibly our two worst defensive forwards though they've been much better this year.

Not to change the topic but the best they'll ever be is competent. Too slow- tall, but not big enough. I mean, think about all of the good defensive players that you know.. if they aren't big, then they're at least fast. And if they aren't fast, they're at least big.

Of course, being big and fast doesn't make you a good defensive play automatically, you have to have the IQ too, which explains Booth.

 

[AmazingNuck]

Sedins are very good defensively, they're smarts allowed them to get the puck out of the defensive zone very quickly because their "soccer style" play. they used to PK very well until AV decided to exclusively use them as offensive players.

Being good at penalty killing and being good at defense in a 5 on 5 situation is different. PK is favourable to slower players with good positioning (ie. the Sedins, defensemen like Gill and Murray) because foot speed isn't a necessity, like it is in 5 on 5 situations. The Sedins aren't good defensively (in a 5 on 5 situation) and they never will be that good because they don't have the speed to cover the ice well enough.

 

[StringerBell]

When the play goes into his end he doesn't switch his focus from the puck to his man. He's always, always, always watching the puck. He needs to make it a habit it to glue himself to his check and tie up his stick instead of worrying about getting ready for an outlet pass. Footspeed and size shouldn't prevent him from doing that.

 

[HighAndTight]

He has a lot of trouble with board battles and when he was on the Canucks he was always paired with 1 or even 2 defesnively responsible line mates.

 

[Aphid Attraction]

Greetings Canuck fans, I hope your enjoying Kassian. Hodgson fits like a glove on our top line. That being said, he has some defective parts. Namely his defensive game, leads the league in goals against while on the ice. And its not just a weird concidence, his play reflects those numbers.
I always thought that Hodgson was supposed to be a "smart hockey player" and a future two way center. What gives?

Is he still being used on the PK? I ask is because, the only reason I can think of for him being put there is that someone thinks he can take that big hockey head of his, and learn defense. Otherwise last year, what seemed to happen was he was very sheltered in Van, so his value would be high on the trade market (Looked like first line potential, well we all thought so). This did not help him learning the D game at the NHL level. So if he dose get better, It will have to be because he is smart, cause his speed is not bailing him out.

 

[Wizeman*]

Greetings Canuck fans, I hope your enjoying Kassian. Hodgson fits like a glove on our top line. That being said, he has some defective parts. Namely his defensive game, leads the league in goals against while on the ice. And its not just a weird concidence, his play reflects those numbers.
I always thought that Hodgson was supposed to be a "smart hockey player" and a future two way center. What gives?

I have watched every single Sabres game this year and Hodgson is exactly the same player he was in Vancouver and would have been if provided state of the art top tier linemates and minutes.

Cody Hodgson is not fast or strong enough to be good defensively.

Ruff is trying to develop him defensively and he is effective when standing in a box because he is VERY smart and anticipates extremely well.

However, its not his forte and he will be a minus player if hes ever demoted down to a second line.

 

[DustyMartellaughs]

He's young. How much he improves defensively is to a great degree dependent on how much he wants to and how hard he works at it.
He may never come up in Selke conversations, but he can certainly be better than he is now.

 

[Fat Tony]

PK is favourable to slower players with good positioning (ie. the Sedins, defensemen like Gill and Murray) because foot speed isn't a necessity, like it is in 5 on 5 situations.

If you're a slow forward, you're not going on the PK on a lot of teams.

 

[cc]

I think he'll get better as he improves his strength and possibly speed. he's a smart hockey player so he'll probably learn to be decent.

 

[Jyrki]

I think he'll get better as he improves his strength and possibly speed. he's a smart hockey player so he'll probably learn to be decent.

Agreed, no reason he can't be at least serviceable in the D-zone after a few seasons. With that said, he doesn't skate fast for a guy of his size so that's troubling when he's trying to get back.

 

[Wisp]

Look at Schroeder and Kassian. They're both a year younger and they've shown proficiency for the d-zone early on and Hodgson has shown the exact opposite. I don't think Buffalo is going to be able (or even want to, with Ennis as their two way guy) to develop him into a two way player. He hasn't shown any defensive value at this point, and I think its unlikely to comes around later with how they're playing him.

 

[petrishriekandgo]

Sedins are very good defensively, they're smarts allowed them to get the puck out of the defensive zone very quickly because their "soccer style" play. they used to PK very well until AV decided to exclusively use them as offensive players.

Ummm... no. They are one of the only lines that repeatedly gets pinned in their own zone... if you ask me the move to put Burrows back on that line was aimed more at getting his defensive smarts and quickness back on that line than anything.

 

[serge2k]

Probably mostly to do with being a young center.

 

[mrmyheadhurts]

When you go from being a highly protected 3rd line center, to a top line center in one summer, there are going to be some growing pains. At least he's contributing offensively, the D will get better. Kassian looked a little lost on the game winning goal last game, he'll get better too.

 

[cotillion]

the better question, how are you enjoying the hodgson family?

 

[Scurr]

Was horrible defensively in the AHL too. I don't know that it's just skating, I'm pretty sure it isn't. He cheats a lot to get out of the zone early and seems to treat defensive play as an afterthought. I think it's a matter of getting him to respect that part of the game more so than a matter of teaching him.

I agree with this. Hodgson needs to learn that there is a fine line between reading the play and guessing. He ends up on the wrong side of the puck far too often. Obviously the Sabres have more time for this than we do. This is why AV makes everyone on the team play the right way and earn his trust. That's how it should be.

Kassian definitely has the easier go of it as a winger.

 

[Wizeman*]

You can teach defense, but you can't teach size or speed. Hodgson's small and slow.

I know. You have to be in total fanboy DENIAL to blind yourself to this.

The beloved Cody is finished getting any bigger. Hes been TRYING to improve his skating for YEARS so it aint happening anymore. You dont get stronger from here on out. You get weaker. But you get smarter.

This is why young guys wail around the ice at 100mph and accomplish nothing , so it takes them to age 23 or 24 (see Kesler, Ryan, Burrows, Alex) until they get their head out of their arse .

Hodgson already has the smarts. He lives and dies by them. So he aint going to get much better. Just smarter. You cant teach speed or strength. Hodgson uses his stick to hook all the time because he cant play the body.

Lets face it. Hodgson is playing with two of the best NHL players to help pad his totals so what you are seeing now is what you are going to get.

 

[StringerBell]

I know. You have to be in total fanboy DENIAL to blind yourself to this.

The beloved Cody is finished getting any bigger. Hes been TRYING to improve his skating for YEARS so it aint happening anymore. You dont get stronger from here on out. You get weaker. But you get smarter.

This is why young guys wail around the ice at 100mph and accomplish nothing , so it takes them to age 23 or 24 (see Kesler, Ryan, Burrows, Alex) until they get their head out of their arse .

Hodgson already has the smarts. He lives and dies by them. So he aint going to get much better. Just smarter. You cant teach speed or strength. Hodgson uses his stick to hook all the time because he cant play the body.

Lets face it. Hodgson is playing with two of the best NHL players to help pad his totals so what you are seeing now is what you are going to get.

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

I was very pleased to see Hodgson and Ehrhoff get the decisive goals in your victory over Boston the other night. If I recall, the weakest parts of Hodgson's game were his skating and his defence. He's not a very big guy. The skating he makes up for with smarts and good positioning. The defence, he doesn't have the natural defensive talent like he does offensively, but it will come with time. If you're gonna have a guy at 1C in his second full year as a pro, you're going to need to give him some time to get used to some things.