SABRES PROSPECT Zack Kassian

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

I know you're desperate for attention but how about shutting the hell up and letting him answer the question? When I want clarification from you, you'll be the first to know.

 

I'm not desperate for attention from anyone, much less you, but a stupid question deserves that type of response from anyone. Mair has 0 goals and 5 assists on a year. That would quantify as a big time lack of production. He hasn't even been that great of a physical presence like he was in past years. Clearly, a guy like Kassain could bring much more to the table for the Sabres sooner rather than later. Surely he, or almost any other forward that would replace Mair, couldn't be any less productive. Easy enough?

[shrader]

Get over it, man. The Sabres have severely lacked tough, physical play for the last decade, so whatever form it comes in is fine by me at this point. I for one can't wait to see a kid like Kassain come up here and provide them with some, whether the hit was cheap or not. If it goes a long way in keeping Miller from getting ran all the time like he always has been, which I think a guy like him can help make happen, then it's worth it for sure.

 

How often have you seen Miller run this season? Kassian won't be able to protect anyone anyway if he winds up suspended over and over. The major backlash against hits to the head like this is right around the corner, so if he throws a couple hits like that, the league will come down on him hard.

 

All I know is that I can't applaud someone for possibly ending the hockey career of a 19 year old kid with a dirty hit.

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

How often have you seen Miller run this season? Kassian won't be able to protect anyone anyway if he winds up suspended over and over. The major backlash against hits to the head like this is right around the corner, so if he throws a couple hits like that, the league will come down on him hard.

 

All I know is that I can't applaud someone for possibly ending the hockey career of a 19 year old kid with a dirty hit.

 

Understandable, because he did leave his feet a bit, and you have to feel for the kid he hit. I feel like Miller hasn't been getting run quite as much this season as the last couple, particularly last season, but I watch a lot of hockey and I still see guys going in really hard on him much more than other goalies, even this year. I think it's went down a little bit this season mainly due to Myers being back there 24 minutes a game. He's done a good job sticking up for his goalie whenever it has happened, and I think it's rubbed off a bit on other guys, too. I still would be all for having a kid like Zack Kassain up with this team as soon as he is ready, though. We have a lot of smaller, skilled guys on this team (Roy, Pominville, Kennedy, Connolly, etc) that could use a guy like Kassain to keep them from taking cheap shots from other teams' enforcers throughout the season. I don't think teams would be nearly as keen on getting too close to Miller when he's holding a puck, either. Kassain also has the skill to score and make plays in the offensive end. It will be interesting to see how he develops, to say the least.

[Chef Jim]

Understandable, because he did leave his feet a bit, and you have to feel for the kid he hit. I feel like Miller hasn't been getting run quite as much this season as the last couple, particularly last season, but I watch a lot of hockey and I still see guys going in really hard on him much more than other goalies, even this year. I think it's went down a little bit this season mainly due to Myers being back there 24 minutes a game. He's done a good job sticking up for his goalie whenever it has happened, and I think it's rubbed off a bit on other guys, too. I still would be all for having a kid like Zack Kassain up with this team as soon as he is ready, though. We have a lot of smaller, skilled guys on this team (Roy, Pominville, Kennedy, Connolly, etc) that could use a guy like Kassain to keep them from taking cheap shots from other teams' enforcers throughout the season. I don't think teams would be nearly as keen on getting too close to Miller when he's holding a puck, either. Kassain also has the skill to score and make plays in the offensive end. It will be interesting to see how he develops, to say the least.

 

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

 

The OHL actually determined that he did not leave his feet until after contact, so they're actually being more generous than I was when I said I thought he did leave his feet "a bit" early. OHL Commish's statement is near the end of this article under the video of the hit:

 

Branch Comments

[LongLiveRalph]

Understandable, because he did leave his feet a bit, and you have to feel for the kid he hit. I feel like Miller hasn't been getting run quite as much this season as the last couple, particularly last season, but I watch a lot of hockey and I still see guys going in really hard on him much more than other goalies, even this year. I think it's went down a little bit this season mainly due to Myers being back there 24 minutes a game. He's done a good job sticking up for his goalie whenever it has happened, and I think it's rubbed off a bit on other guys, too. I still would be all for having a kid like Zack Kassain up with this team as soon as he is ready, though. We have a lot of smaller, skilled guys on this team (Roy, Pominville, Kennedy, Connolly, etc) that could use a guy like Kassain to keep them from taking cheap shots from other teams' enforcers throughout the season. I don't think teams would be nearly as keen on getting too close to Miller when he's holding a puck, either. Kassain also has the skill to score and make plays in the offensive end. It will be interesting to see how he develops, to say the least.

 

When you have a goalie who is basically lights out, and the main reason a team is winning games, and he's difficult to score on, he's going to get run/bumped/crowded/slashed/pestered, and there's not really anything that anybody is going to do about it. When there's 30 games left in a season, points start to mean a LOT more to everyone. Miller is a league MVP candidate and the #1 reason for the Sabres success. You could have Rob Ray, Bob Probert, and Larry Playfair all on the ice together, and some goomba from the opponent is going to try to rattle the goalie. It's a part of the game, and short of a quick left cross in the Toronto game, Miller has composed himself very well. But at this point in the season, every team is playing for something. When Miller is in his zone, he's nearly unbeatable. Teams trying to get in his way and get him out of his comfort zone is inevitable. The Sabres have a handful of players who will step in without fail if somebody crosses the line.

 

Sometimes, adding a "bruiser" has the opposite effect. If Kaleta buries Nicklas Lidstrom in the corner (and then shies away from the pending fight like he always does,) somebody from Detroit will likely say, "You hit our best player, we're going to hit yours." For the Sabres, that's Miller.

 

I love Kaleta but the kid needs to fight. He doesn't need to be a brawler, but 8-9 fights a season would be about right. You can't run around lining people up like that and then skate away from the consequences. That was the one bright spot of Kassain's cheap shot...He knew what was coming, and at least he answered the bell.

[EndZoneCrew]

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

I love Kaleta but the kid needs to fight. He doesn't need to be a brawler, but 8-9 fights a season would be about right. You can't run around lining people up like that and then skate away from the consequences. That was the one bright spot of Kassain's cheap shot...He knew what was coming, and at least he answered the bell.

 

I think you're exactly right about this. That has always been my criticism of Kaleta, too. Though he hasn't bothered me as much this season because he has actually been a productive player pretty often, not just some guy who crazily throws his body around and tries to draw penalties.

[Chef Jim]

The OHL actually determined that he did not leave his feet until after contact, so they're actually being more generous than I was when I said I thought he did leave his feet "a bit" early. OHL Commish's statement is near the end of this article under the video of the hit:

 

Branch Comments

 

Then they are blind, idiots or both. Freeze the video at :09 and you'll see he is a good two feet off the ground as contact is made.

[DaGimp]

the Sabres need this guy now-they lack anything close to his toughness

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

Then they are blind, idiots or both. Freeze the video at :09 and you'll see he is a good two feet off the ground as contact is made.

 

I'm still not completely convinced. I watched the video several more times, pausing at :09 multiple times, and I really don't think it's all that conclusive that he left his feet before making contact. He obviously leaves his feet after the hit, but I don't think it's conclusive that he did so before contact, and if he did, he surely wasn't two feet off the ground, IMO. Obviously the people who run the OHL didn't think it was conclusive enough either, or else I'm sure they would have said as much and probably gave him a longer suspension. JMO.

[Dante]

Hit was wrong for a few reasons. 1st. The guy never possessed the puck and he was exposed because he was looking up in the air for it. Very dirty. Very cheap. 2nd In my opinion he not only left his feet, he dove at the guy. 3rd Hit the guy in the head. This guy obviously was never interested in the puck. Problem with this guy, as someone already mentioned, he will bring down the wrath of the opposition with a hit like this. Let alone end the career of someone. You can keep em. As far as the Sabres are concerned, I'm more enthused about Tyler Innis

[Chef Jim]

I'm still not completely convinced. I watched the video several more times, pausing at :09 multiple times, and I really don't think it's all that conclusive that he left his feet before making contact. He obviously leaves his feet after the hit, but I don't think it's conclusive that he did so before contact, and if he did, he surely wasn't two feet off the ground, IMO. Obviously the people who run the OHL didn't think it was conclusive enough either, or else I'm sure they would have said as much and probably gave him a longer suspension. JMO.

 

Does it really matter when he left the ice? The intent is clear. A person just doesn't magically become airborn.

[shrader]

Hit was wrong for a few reasons. 1st. The guy never possessed the puck and he was exposed because he was looking up in the air for it. Very dirty. Very cheap. 2nd In my opinion he not only left his feet, he dove at the guy. 3rd Hit the guy in the head. This guy obviously was never interested in the puck. Problem with this guy, as someone already mentioned, he will bring down the wrath of the opposition with a hit like this. Let alone end the career of someone. You can keep em. As far as the Sabres are concerned, I'm more enthused about Tyler Innis

 

He was essentially a human missle in that hit. The timing of when he left his feet should not matter. Whether it was before or after contact was made, there is clearly an upward motion in that hit. There is only one intention when you take that direction in a hit, to go after the opposing player's head. At least one league has finally started to go after head hunting. I always thought it was going to take a death for the NHL to do the same, but there actually seems a bit of chatter about this there too.

 

Oh, and since it always bugs me, I have to throw two corrections out there for this thread. It's KASSIAN, not Kassain. And Dante, it's Tyler Ennis.

[Dante]

He was essentially a human missle in that hit. The timing of when he left his feet should not matter. Whether it was before or after contact was made, there is clearly an upward motion in that hit. There is only one intention when you take that direction in a hit, to go after the opposing player's head. At least one league has finally started to go after head hunting. I always thought it was going to take a death for the NHL to do the same, but there actually seems a bit of chatter about this there too.

 

Oh, and since it always bugs me, I have to throw two corrections out there for this thread. It's KASSIAN, not Kassassin And Dante, it's Tyler Ennis.

heh, corrected. Couldn't resist.

[John Adams]

Cheap shot !@#$.

[CountDorkula]

Cheap shot !@#$.

 

Its not the first time either:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTLJzLlUXtk...feature=related

[Alaska Darin]

I'm not desperate for attention from anyone, much less you, but a stupid question deserves that type of response from anyone. Mair has 0 goals and 5 assists on a year. That would quantify as a big time lack of production.

The guy has 100 points since 1999. Having 5 in 36 games is pretty much his average. Taking into account his lack of a defined role on this team and the corresponding shrinking of his ice time...

 

If my question was stupid, your response is wearing a helmet with headgear and took the short bus to get here. But it's certainly not about you needing attention. The next time I ask someone else a question, you feel free to ignore it.

He hasn't even been that great of a physical presence like he was in past years. Clearly, a guy like Kassain could bring much more to the table for the Sabres sooner rather than later.

Yeah, it's pretty clear that a bonus baby first round pick is going to replace a lunch pail 4th line player because that's how it works in the salary cap era. Quinn should dump Darcy and hire you ASAP.

Surely he, or almost any other forward that would replace Mair, couldn't be any less productive. Easy enough?

I remember the mouthbreathers saying the same thing when Mike Grier took his game out west. It was easy enough then too when you don't understand what it takes to build a successful hockey team.

[Alaska Darin]

Sometimes, adding a "bruiser" has the opposite effect. If Kaleta buries Nicklas Lidstrom in the corner (and then shies away from the pending fight like he always does,) somebody from Detroit will likely say, "You hit our best player, we're going to hit yours." For the Sabres, that's Miller.

Circle March 14th on your calendar for the return engagement of the Flyers/Rangers. I'm going to be really curious to see Briere/Gagne running for their lives.

[justnzane]

Ok, my little response to everything in the thread.

 

Darin, sometimes you are a dolt. WVU made a very clear opinionated point. You may disagree, but it was a clear as freaking day what he meant

 

Watching the videos, I think he left his feet after contact, which is ok. But it was a late hit that !@#$ed up a guy's head and possibly his potential pro career and life.