Less than 24 hours after one of the biggest trades in the Mike Gillis administration, Canuck fans are still trying to wrap their heads around the departure of Cody Hodgson.
Hodgson was Mike Gillis' first draft pick after joining the club in 2008 and despite the many obstacles he had to overcome to make the transition to the NHL he had become a fan favourite. Cody represented the first Canadian born prospect the Canucks had drafted since Trevor Linden with star potential. In fact, watching Hodgson lead the Canadian Junior team in the 2008 World Championship was the high water mark for a Canuck in that tournament. After years of seeing seemingly every other team in the league showcase their rising stars Canuck fans were thrilled to have one of their own be the player other teams envied.
Being the most anticipated prospect since the Sedins, Coho took longer to develop than was expected but when he finally arrived this year and started to excel as the season wore on, occasionally being the best Canuck on the ice, fans really grew to love their newest star centre.
Unfortunately for Canuck fans Alan Vigneault never seemed to feel the same love for Cody as they did. As I've written in each of my last several Canuck articles, Cody was the odd man out in AV's system. Playing a role that was already more than adequately covered by Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, Hodgson was slotted in as the 3rd line centre, which did not suit his finesse and cerebral game. Coach V wanted a guy to skate and check in that role; Cody was ill equipped for the job.
So Cody and a couple of 4th round draft picks are gone and in their place are Sami Pahlsson, Marc-Andre Gargnani and Zack Kassian. Pahlsson was actually the key to the Hodgson deal because once Vancouver obtained the player they thought could fill the third line checking centre role, they were able to shop Hodgson for the big bodied winger they craved so badly.
Which leads us to the question that really matters at the end of the day, are the Canucks in a better position to win the cup right now than they were 24 hours ago? Every move Mike Gillis makes from now until the Canucks win a cup should be judged on one factor only, does it bring Vancouver closer to the cup, not did the Canucks win the deal. Until there's a parade on Robson St., that's how deals should be judged in this city.
Oddly, this deal in the short term is more dependent on Pahlsson and Gragnani than Kassian. Pahlsson was once considered an elite checker. His work during Anaheim's 2007 cup run was nothing short of spectacular and if that's the Pahlsson the Canucks received in this deal, AV and Gillis will have their ideal team. Two scoring lines, a relentless checking line and a 4th line that can grind a team down for 8 minutes a game.
Gragnani brings solid defensive depth to a squad that proved last spring you can't have enough NHL caliber defensemen for a playoff run. At the moment, Kassian seems almost superfluous. Vancouver has it's top 9 spots filled with their incumbent players, the Sedins with Burrows on the first line, Kesler, Booth and Higgins on the second and Pahlsson slots in with Raymond and Hansen on a speedy third line which could drive teams nuts.
Unless Kassian shows more than he did for Buffalo this year, he seems destined for the 4th line with spot duty higher in the line-up taking Dale Weiss' place with Malholtra and Lapierre.
Canuck management made a choice yesterday; they sacrificed secondary scoring to commit to a checking line with a different identity, one short on goals but hard to play against. The Canuck brain trust wanted each of their lines to have an identity and sacrificing Cody was worth it to them to make the team in their vision.
What's confusing though is why Zack Kassian? If the goal is to win the cup today, why bring in a player who was playing in the minors for a team that also lacked size? I realize the Canucks allegedly coveted this player but is he capable of helping the Canucks win now, Vancouver doesn't need to develop prospects they need players that help them attain their ultimate goal.
The Canucks had some cap room, they had other assets to use, was Zack Kassian really the best player to help them win today? Couldn't Vancouver have sweetened the pot a little for a player without so many question marks? This is what I'd like to know.
Despite his popularity Cody Hodgson was a spare part in the Canuck's vision of building a Stanley Cup winner, his departure was inevitable all things considered so now what we're left to decide is whether the Canucks are a better playoff squad. Did they trade their spare parts for key pieces to a cup run or did they simply shift spare parts around.
We'll find out in the spring but Sami Pahlsson better still be capable of checking the hell out of the other team or this discussion will take on a whole new life in the summer.
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