Line Combos: Reality of using Kassian in on the 1st line...

[Pip]

If you told Hawks fans that Saad/Bickel would be on the top line before last season, I assume you would get a similar response as the OP

 

[Pure West]

To be great with the Sedins, you need to be great without the puck. I don't think Kassian fits that mold, and really I think that's a waste of his potential as he has great stickhandling and a great ability to create chances out of the corners. However, he needs the puck on his stick.

Kassian with Booth and a center other than Hank or Kesler is IMO the best use for Kassian.

 

[thepuckmonster]

Greatest and most insightful thread of the year... Nay, ever!

Thank you for your deep and well thought out argument, it's so unique.

Pffft. Kassian4Lyfe.

 

[BeardyCanuck03]

Kassian will get a big opportunity on the Sedins line, he has the playmaking and passing skills to be a good winger for Kesler too.

It's a very smart move to play Kassian on the Sedin's wing as if it works and Burrows/Kesler can find chemistry the Canucks will have 2 very strong scoring lines.

That being said, with Kassian on their wing, the Sedins will have to be much more defensively conscious as Burrows is way better than Kassian at that part of the game.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

If you told Hawks fans that Saad/Bickel would be on the top line before last season, I assume you would get a similar response as the OP

Yep. They whined about it constantly, specifically because they wanted Sharp/Toews/Kane all on one line. You have to allot rookies the opportunity to succeed. And they are not going to do so regulated to the fourth line. There are 82 games. What harm is there giving Kassian first line minutes for say, twenty or so?

 

[Rex Banner]

Yep. They whined about it constantly, specifically because they wanted Sharp/Toews/Kane all on one line. You have to allot rookies the opportunity to succeed. And they are not going to do so regulated to the fourth line. There are 82 games. What harm is there giving Kassian first line minutes for say, twenty or so?

I'm hoping that the problem to Kassians ice time is now in New York.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Yep. They whined about it constantly, specifically because they wanted Sharp/Toews/Kane all on one line. You have to allot rookies the opportunity to succeed. And they are not going to do so regulated to the fourth line. There are 82 games. What harm is there giving Kassian first line minutes for say, twenty or so?

Don't get it.

Like I've said maybe a thousand times, I'd rather have 3 good lines than just 1 really good line and 2 garbage lines.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

what did kassian do to deserve top line minutes last season? i'm sorry but scoring at an unsustainable rate over 5 games doesn't cut it, especially when he looked invisible when not scoring over those 5 games other than the odd shift (preparing for the lynch mob on this one.) this is eerily sounding like the hodgson situation when lots of people were clamoring for more ice time with him as well, but this is professional sports and opportunities are earned not given.

 

[BeardyCanuck03]

what did kassian do to deserve top line minutes last season? i'm sorry but scoring at an unsustainable rate over 5 games doesn't cut it, especially when he looked invisible when not scoring over those 5 games other than the odd shift (preparing for the lynch mob on this one.) this is eerily sounding like the hodgson situation when lots of people were clamoring for more ice time with him as well, but this is professional sports and opportunities are earned not given.

He's getting the opportunity to play there but it doesn't mean he'll stay there if it doesn't work.

Kassian has the skill set to be a player who could thrive in this position, and if he does, it frees up Burrows to play on the 2nd line with Kesler, which helps the team become more than just a one line + Kesler team.

People who are so dead set against Kassian with the twins don't understand the larger picture and the domino effect it could create that would make the Canucks a better team.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

People who are so dead set against Kassian with the twins don't understand the larger picture and the domino effect it could create that would make the Canucks a better team.

well if it's that easy then why didn't the coach put him back with the twins when kesler came back?

 

[BeardyCanuck03]

well if it's that easy then why didn't the coach put him back with the twins when kesler came back?

Are we talking about the coach who was fired because he wasn't getting the job done anymore? The coach who unless a player was his favourite wouldn't give higher risk players ice time? How did not moving Kassian to the Sedins wing do for the Canucks last season?

If you look at what the potential domino affect is for playing Kassian on the twins line, it's hard not to TRY it. If it doesn't work then Kassian won't stay there, it's simple.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

Are we talking about the coach who was fired because he wasn't getting the job done anymore? The coach who unless a player was his favourite wouldn't give higher risk players ice time? How did not moving Kassian to the Sedins wing do for the Canucks last season?

we're talking about the coach who makes millions more than HFheroes, the coach who just signed a contract with one of the more prestigious teams in the NHL, the coach who has more wins than any other in canucks history. there are things to knock AV on, but not playing kassian with the twins isn't one of them.

this "domino effect" you're talking about it is largely overblown because you need to have a player that would actually be a difference maker when slotted into first line. kassian isn't that, and would likely be more of a liability than anything else due to his play without the puck.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Don't get it.

Like I've said maybe a thousand times, I'd rather have 3 good lines than just 1 really good line and 2 garbage lines.

That is precise what we do have.

Sedin - Sedin - Kassian
Booth - Kesler - Burrows
Higgins - Schroeder - Hansen

Sure, we are relying on the kids to push the envelope this season, but that is how they learn and develop. Alternatively, if it does not work out. We can go with...

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows
Booth - Kesler - Higgins
Kassian - Schroeder - Hansen

 

[BeardyCanuck03]

we're talking about the coach who makes millions more than HFheroes, the coach who just signed a contract with one of the more prestigious teams in the NHL, the coach who has more wins than any other in canucks history. there are things to knock AV on, but not playing kassian with the twins isn't one of them.

this "domino effect" you're talking about it is largely overblown because you need to have a player that would actually be a difference maker when slotted into first line. kassian isn't that, and would likely be more of a liability than anything else due to his play without the puck.

Honestly I don't see why playing Kassian with the twins to start the season to see how it plays out is such a bad idea. If it works, it makes the Canucks a better team. He has the skills to be succesfull in this role.

How well did not playing Kassian there do for the Canucks last season and playoffs? I'm not saying this move alone will change the Canucks fortunes but if it works it will go a long way to helping the Canucks get back to the level they were at in 2011.

Do you really want Torts to just play the same lines as last season and hope for a different result?

 

[dave babych returns]

Okay since the topic actually has legs..

Kassian will get a look with the Sedins (as will a lot of other players). He'll get a look in a lot of other roles too, there's a new coach in town after all.

Assuming that Kassian is the first, best, only option for the first line and then freaking out about it is beyond premature.

 

[Royal Canuck]

Wow, what a thought provoking argument...

He has another year under his belt, he's been working out like crazy this off-season, I want to see how he does in a few games before saying that he'll be a nightmare in the top 6 this upcoming season.
Guess what, he's only 22 years old. He's still improving, and now he has a head coach that will give young players chances to succeed. He's not going to develop if we use the AV strategy of keeping him on the 4th line.

You sir, are magnificent.

 

[HighAndTight]

I'll believe it when I see it, personally. He's done nothing at all to earn that spot, and it just doesn't make any sense to me to remove Burrows from that duo. Torts could well just be saying these "he's going to be playing with the Sedin's" things to motivate Zack in the off-season.

I'd think that he probably makes the most sense on line 3 with Schroeder and Hansen.

Kassian was playing better then Burrows to start last year and was taken off the first line to get other lines to start working. It's funny because even though the Sedins weren't playing 100% they looked more dangerous then usual. And guess what? They were actually protected for once. Kassian on more then one occasion held off the other teams entire line

But then we're all shocked when his confidence gets shattered by AV(Wow he's done that before) and we're all shocked he isn't meshing with Kesler when they never played together. Kassian had been working with the Sedins that off season...

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

Honestly I don't see why playing Kassian with the twins to start the season to see how it plays out is such a bad idea. If it works, it makes the Canucks a better team. He has the skills to be succesfull in this role.

How well did not playing Kassian there do for the Canucks last season and playoffs? I'm not saying this move alone will change the Canucks fortunes but if it works it will go a long way to helping the Canucks get back to the level they were at in 2011.

Do you really want Torts to just play the same lines as last season and hope for a different result?

i am not opposed to giving kassian some time with the twins at the start of the season, my previous posts were talking about last season and how i felt he didn't earn top line minutes with his play. i hope my expectations for kassian this season are wrong and he plays lights out at both ends of the rink

 

[Shareefruck]

I kind of feel like both Booth and Kassian are best utilized by being played together, personally

 

[HighAndTight]

i am not opposed to giving kassian some time with the twins at the start of the season, my previous posts were talking about last season and how i felt he didn't earn top line minutes with his play. i hope my expectations for kassian this season are wrong and he plays lights out at both ends of the rink

What did he do to be taken off the first line though

 

[Wisp]

What did he do to be taken off the first line though

AV: "Sorry, Mike, you know how I roll. He lost his man this one time playing Hank and Danny, so now he's a enforcer forever. "


edit: generally, that's a disingenuous take of AV I just made, though in the instance of Kassian I feel he was never given the opportunity to learn on the job.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

What did he do to be taken off the first line though

AV: "Sorry, Mike, you know how I roll. He lost his man this one time playing Hank and Danny, so now he's a enforcer forever. "


edit: generally, that's a disingenuous take of AV I just made, though in the instance of Kassian I feel he was never given the opportunity to learn on the job.

players get moved around the lineup all the time throughout the season. what did kassian do to earn 1st line minutes back once he got demoted?

 

[biturbo19]

I don't see any harm at all in giving the Kassian+Twins thing a serious look to start this season. I do have plenty of my own reservations about whether or not it will really be successful in the long-run, but as others have mentioned multiple times...IF Kassian (or really, any rookie, maybe even Jensen) can hold down a spot alongside the Twins, it really frees up some other options for our 2nd and 3rd lines and potentially strengthens our lineup as a whole.

I'm not fully expecting it to work out though, and wouldn't be surprised to see Burrows back there with the Twins at least for stretches of the season and even the playoffs.

My biggest concern with basically 'gifting' Kassian a 1st line spot, is that i'm not sure that's the greatest approach with a player like we want him to become. If we really want that wild-man, bull in a china shop type attitude out of Kassian, i think we kind of want him to show some of that to 'earn' his spot. That is, i think if we're after an aggressive power forward who brings some intimidating qualities to the table...i'd kind of like to see Kassian go out and 'force our hand' so to speak, really bowling his way into the role.

But the cap realities mean that maybe we don't have time to 'wait around' for that to happen, and have to sort of expedite the process a bit, jump starting him on that top line to see if he can keep some momentum rolling.

I kind of feel like both Booth and Kassian are best utilized by being played together, personally

I think there's also potentially something to this idea as well. They seem like two players who have skillsets that mesh nicely and it'd make for one heck of a load to handle defensively.

I think it's tricky though, because Kesler doesn't seem like the greatest fit between those two. I think they could really use more of a puck distributing, playmaker type to get the most out of the pairing.

 

[Tanevian*]

we're talking about the coach who makes millions more than HFheroes, the coach who just signed a contract with one of the more prestigious teams in the NHL, the coach who has more wins than any other in canucks history. there are things to knock AV on, but not playing kassian with the twins isn't one of them.

this "domino effect" you're talking about it is largely overblown because you need to have a player that would actually be a difference maker when slotted into first line. kassian isn't that, and would likely be more of a liability than anything else due to his play without the puck.

Hold on, you mean we CAN knock million $$$ AV on SOME things but not others? I hope you can provide a list of heroic suggestions, I do not want to overstep my boundaries.

 

[Jay Cee]

I like how every thread has like some sort of "I can't wait to see what Torts does with him since AV handled him so poorly".

Exhibit A: Brad Richards
Exhibit B: Marian Gaborik
etc.

Not saying I don't have faith in the coach, I think he was overall a good choice, but he is not just gonna stand up on a chair and curse and swear and create some sort of magic to make this team drastically better than it already is. I think people totally have this "Any Given Sunday" view of what it is that motivates pro athletes, and it is not really based in much fact at all.