Before I begin, I'd just like to say that I'm not interested in tearing either Cody Hodgson or Zack Kassian down. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm also not interested in tearing down the Buffalo Sabres, or making the Canucks look amazing, or crying about Mike Gillis. If you're looking for a mudslinging hatefest, you may want to look elsewhere. If I do come across as biased, I apologize.

via www.vancouversun.com

February 27, 2012

The Buffalo Sabres trade Zack Kassian and Marc Andre Gragnani to the Vancouver Canucks for Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer

"I'm still in shock right now. My phone is blowing up and I don't know what to think. I'm still trying to think about it and put everything together." - Cody Hodgson

"For me, I’d like to be the guy that looks at Mike Gillis and says, ‘You’re a moron." - Gary Roberts

By now, everyone knows the story of Cody Hodgson, who was the payoff for one of the most miserable Canucks seasons in recent memory. At the time, the Vancouver Canucks had a serious depth issue. Guys like washed up Brad Isbister, Byron Ritchie and Lukas Krajicek were suiting up for us regularly. It was a dark time. In May of that year, one of the best Canucks defensive prospects that we'd had in a while, Luc Bourdon, was killed in a motorcycle crash. We didn't miss the playoffs by that much that season, but it sure felt like it was a mile away. Dave Nonis would ultimately be fired because of the lack of depth pervading our organization, replaced by a fresh Mike Gillis who would bring about drastic changes - finishing off the last vestiges of the West Coast Express, banishing Markus Naslund and Brenden Morrison from our team and ushering in the heyday of the Sedin era.

In the leadup to the 2008 draft, Cody Hodgson was ranked 9th overall by NHL Central Scouting, and would be drafted 10th overall by our own Vancouver Canucks. Coming off a season in which he had scored 85 points in 68 games for the Brampton Battallion, it appeared as though we had drafted a very good scoring center. This was reinforced when he went on to score 92 points in only 53 games, and culminated in a World Junior gold in which he scored 16 points in 6 games. Things were looking up.

While training in preparation for the 2009 training camp, Cody Hodgson would injure his back. Alain Vigneault would publicly criticize Cody Hodgson at the time. It was certainly not a good way to start off a relationship with a skilled young forward, and looking back, it was the beginning of a rough relationship between Hodgson and the Canucks. In the 2010-11 season, many Canucks fans became impatient with Hodgson, who expected him to make the team, and was then labelled as a bust when he didn't. Despite this, Hodgson would make it into 8 games that season. He would play in 12 playoff games that postseason, recording a point.

via vansunsportsblogs.com

A different style



While Cody Hodgson was known as a skilled center and a natural playmaker, turning heads with his amazing hockey sense and puck handling, Zack Kassian was busy turning heads with his elbows and his shoulders. Zack Kassian, originally from Windsor, grew up without a father in a home where money was often hard to come by. Despite this, Zack Kassian would battle his way into the OHL. In his first OHL season, the Kassquatch would rack up 21 points and 74 PIMs. The next season, he would score 63 points and 136 PIM's. Zack Kassian quickly became known as one of the most feared fighters in the OHL.

"[Kassian’s] an intimidating guy. He’s a guy that’s definitely a force out there. He’s a guy that goes to the net well. If he sees the opportunity he can finish, he’s dangerous being physical and putting the puck in the net." - John Tavares

Zack Kassian would be drafted 13th overall by the Sabres, and would also be called a bust by Sabres fans at points during his career. Zack Kassian would become known in the OHL as a dirty player, being suspended at several points - one game for breaking a curfew, 20 games for headshotting Matt Kennedy, and 3 games for an 'intent to injure' call. He would also get involved in an altercation at a bar, which ended with him having to pay a fine and do community service.

The 2011-12 Season

Cody Hodgson would finally make the Canucks full time in 2011-12. Coming off a season in which we had fallen short of that elusive first Cup win, and where we had seen several important cogs to our team walk away, or suffer serious injuries, it was easy to see that Hodgson's time had finally arrived. While important players like Raffi Torres and Christian Ehrhoff were busy cashing in on their cup runs, Mason Raymond being busy being injured by dirty and unpenalized hits, Ryan Kesler being a shadow of his past self, and Luongo being busy getting scapegoated, Cody Hodgson was busy making the Canucks. Coming into the season, Canucks fans felt that Cody Hodgson was running out of time. By the time the middle of the season had rolled around, that mentality had vanished from the Canucks nation. Hodgson was being talked about as a Calder Trophy candidate by pundits around the hockey world. This would culminate in a midseason game against the Boston Bruins, a game which now is considered by many to be the last gasp of the 2011 team. That game would turn into a bloodbath in which Sami Salo was submarined by a blatant Brad Marchand cheapshot. Despite this, Cory Schneider would win (furthering the growing anti-Luongo sentiment), and Hodgson would score a goal and an assist. Many fans felt that Cody Hodgson had finally arrived.

Before the trade deadline, Hodgson had scored 33 points in 63 games. While many fans looked at this as Hodgson's breakout season, advanced stats nerds were not impressed. Hodgson would end the season with a -2.1 relative Corsi, despite playing sheltered minutes in which he started in the offensive zone 52.5% of the time, and finished in the offensive zone only 47.5% of the time. It was clear that he was not driving the bus offensively, but was cashing in whenever he could - scoring on 15.5% of his shots, a rate higher than Alex Ovechkin that season. While getting easy minutes, Hodgson wasn't happy because he wasn't getting as many minutes as he wanted. At the time, nobody saw the trade coming, but in hindsight it makes perfect sense. Cody Hodgson's value was at a high, and it was time for the Canucks to make it pay off. Later, Mike Gillis would bellyache about how Cody Hodgson was a 'whiner'. To this day, many fans believe Cody Hodgson's parents forced the trade. Whatever happened, none of us really knows, and it doesn't matter because Cody Hodgson isn't here and Zack Kassian is.

via vansunsportsblogs.com

The Trade

On February 27th, 2012, Mike Gillis threw us for a loop, dumping mediocre defenseman Alex Sulzer and Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian and mediocre defenseman Marc Andre Gragnani. At the time, Canucks fans were livid. However, we quickly warmed up to Kassian - a guy who had all the dimensions that Cody Hodgson lacked. Zack Kassian drove the net, fought, hit, and played with an energy that we had grown to miss. Zack Kassian would end up playing in 44 games that season between Buffalo and Vancouver, scoring 10 points and frustrating both fanbases with inconsistent play. Zack Kassian was 6'3 and built like a freight train. He quickly became the 'next Bertuzzi'.

Zack Kassian would spend the 2012-13 season in Alain Vigneault's doghouse, scoring only 11 points despite a promising start in which he basically ended Ben Eager, former Canuck killer, and had a great audition with the Sedins. He would start the 2013-14 season in John Tortorella's doghouse after a stick swinging incident with Sam Gagner that saw him suspended for 10 games. Towards the end of the season Kassian looked like he was coming into his own. His playmaking skills would shine in almost every game, dimmed only by David Booth and Brad Richardson's inability and ineptitude to finish. One wonders what Zack Kassian could have done playing beside natural snipers like Michael Grabner, who Mike Gillis dumped for Keith Ballard, or Mason Raymond in his prime. The Kassquatch has frustrated us with lacklustre defensive efforts at times. He has also amazed us with his hitting, fighting, occasional goals, and solid assists. It is easy to forget that Zack Kassian is a year younger than Cody Hodgson.

Cody Hodgson vs. Zack Kassian - the numbers in simple stats from NHL.com



Now that I've gotten the narratives and storylines out of the way, I'm going to try to use numbers to compare the two players.

2010 - 11 Season

Cody Hodgson - 8 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 0 PIM, +1

Zack Kassian - 0

Cody Hodgson wins the 2010-11 season simply because he was a year older than Kassian.

2011-12 Season

Cody Hodgson - 83 GP, 19 G, 22 A, 41 P, 10 PIM, +1

Zack Kassian - 44 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 P, 51 PIM, -2

Cody Hodgson wins again. However, Zack Kassian has a better NHL debut season, lasting longer in his rookie season than Cody Hodgson did in his, despite frustrating both Lindy Ruff and Alain Vigneault. While Zack Kassian wasn't anything special that season, Cody Hodgson would flame out in Buffalo, scoring only 8 points in his final 20 games and going -7 over that stretch.

2012-13 Season

Cody Hodgson - 48 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 P, 20 PIM, -4

Zack Kassian - 39 GP, 7 G, 4 A, 11 P, 51 PIM, -7

Cody Hodgson would have a decent lockout season playing next to a red hot Thomas Vanek. Zack Kassian would have a mediocre season despite having a good showing next to the Sedins, something Alain Vigneault ended in the midst of a cold streak and which wouldn't return. Cody Hodgson wins this season also, easily.

2013-14 Season

Cody Hodgson - 72 GP, 20 G, 24 A, 44 P, 20 PIM, -26



Zack Kassian - 73 GP, 14 G, 15 A, 29 P, 124 PIM, -4

Cody Hodgson was one of the main offensive guns on an absolutely terrible Sabres team and didn't look great as a result. Zack Kassian was being buried in the lineup by John Tortorella playing next to guys who couldn't hit the net if their life depended on it, and didn't look great for half the season. He was also suspended twice - once for 5 preseason and 5 regular season games, and another time for 3 games in the regular season for boarding Brendon Dillon in a vicious and unnecessary hit. Cody Hodgson was injured at some point. Cody Hodgson gets the edge here, but Zack Kassian makes some major strides in his game.

Zack Kassian vs. Cody Hodgson - Fancy Stats courtesy of Behind the Net

I am going to use PDO, Corsi relative to the team, and offensive zone starts and finishes. I did this mainly because the Sabres were terrible and raw corsi simply isn't a good way to compare the two players because of the differences in the teams. I wanted to use the corsi relative to the team instead. There are tons of other advanced stats out there - I simply didn't want to get into all of them. Fenwick, zone entries, and other stats are all useful and I like to look at them. I didn't feel like getting into them in this article. Maybe another time.

2011-12

Cody Hodgson: -6.8 Corsi rel, 1018 PDO, 52.3% O Zone Starts, 47.5% O Zone Finishes

It's clear that Cody Hodgson is getting sheltered and isn't actually coming out ahead from it. He has an elevated PDO indicating he is lucky, and is finishing in the offensive zone less than he is starting in it, meaning he's not driving play. His corsi relative to the team is negative, meaning he is getting outshot on the ice more than the rest of the team.

Zack Kassian: 1.8 Corsi rel, 997 PDO, 52.8% O Zone Starts, 51.4% O Zone Finishes

Zack Kassian is getting sheltered more than Hodgson, but is keeping it in the zone more often than Hodgson. He has a low PDO, meaning he isnt' getting lucky but isn't really unlucky either. The team is outshooting the other team more often with him on the ice than without.

Minutes

Kassian 174:44 Even Strength, 0 PK Minutes, 0:07 PP - 174:51 total

Hodgson 280:36 Even Strength, 18:20 PK, 46:24 PP, 345:20 total

Zack Kassian gets a bit over half the minutes that Hodgson does with guys like Luke Adam and Matt Ellis, while Cody Hodgson is playing next to better players for half the season on the third line. Cody Hodgson plays more PK minutes and more PP minutes by far. Zack Kassian plays 7 seconds special teams total that season.

2012-13 Season

Zack Kassian: -9.0 Corsi Rel, 989 PDO, 44.2% O Zone Starts, 48.7% O Zone Finishes

Zack Kassian gets buried in his own end and suffers as a result. He actually helps drive play to the other end though. Typical Vigneault stuff.

Cody Hodgson: 3.8 Corsi Rel, 990 PDO, 48.4% O Zone Starts, 50.0% O Zone Finishes

Cody Hodgson is no longer being sheltered. He is less lucky, scores less, but drives play more effectively than previous seasons. The Sabres outshoot the opposition on average with him on the ice.

Minutes

Kassian – 468:19 ES, 0 SH, 57:25 PP, 525:44 total

Hodgson 695:46 ES, 61:56 SH, 125:25 PP, 883:07 total

Cody Hodgson plays more than Zack Kassian, but it isn't as big of a difference as in the past. Zack Kassian has still never killed a penalty. He does end up with more powerplay time. Cody Hodgson still gets more minutes.

2013-14 Season

Zack Kassian: -2.1 Corsi rel, 994 PDO, 43.5% O Zone Starts, 46.1 O Zone Finishes

Tortorella buries Kassian in his own end and he suffers again. He still drives play but gets outshot. Even so, he scores more this season than ever before.

Cody Hodgson: .2 Corsi Rel, 978 PDO, 44.1% O Zone Starts, 48.8% O Zone Finishes.

Cody Hodgson breaks even - his team on average isn't outshot more when he's on the ice. He is also driving play into the offensive zone, on a team in which most players end up having a large amount of defensive zone starts since they are absolutely terrible. He is insanely unlucky, like everyone else on the Sabres.

Minutes:

Kassian – 891:50 ES, :27 SH, 51:32 PP, 943:49 total

Hodgson - 1046:13 ES, 33:59 SH, 226:05 PP, 1306:17 total

Zack Kassian is still catching up but gets more minutes than ever before and finally kills a penalty. Cody Hodgson spends a much greater chunk of time on the powerplay but plays a significant amount of minutes.

The Verdict

All in all, it's pretty difficult to compare the two players. Cody Hodgson is a year older, playing a completely different style of game and getting more opportunities than Zack Kassian. Cody Hodgson started out playing easy minutes, but both players now play very tough minutes. Zack Kassian has weaker linemates, Cody Hodgson has a weaker team. In terms of points, Cody Hodgson wins hands down. In terms of physicality, Zack Kassian is better. In terms of who is better overall, probably Cody Hodgson right now. Both players are very young by NHL standards and will probably improve as time goes on. Right now, I would say that the Sabres won this trade. 10 years from now, the Canucks may end up winning it if Zack Kassian becomes the Todd Bertuzzi/Cam Neely we desperately want. All in all, I liked both players and I think both guys have a lot to offer their teams.

I will close with some Zack Kassian highlights because he's our guy.

Zack Kassian 2-0 goal vs Oilers (Jan. 21, 2014) (via Canucks)

Canucks Vs Oilers - Zack Kassian 2-0 Goal - 01.20.13 - HD (via CanucksHD)

Ben Eager vs Zack Kassian Jan 20, 2013 (via hockeyfights.com)

Zack Kassian, David Booth and Brad Richardson do their version of "The Shift" (via LegionOfBlogTV)

Brad Richardson 2-1 goal vs Kings (Apr. 5, 2014) (via Canucks)

Articles and Websites I used

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/gary-roberts-cody-hodgson-mike-gillis/

http://thehockeywriters.com/overtime/zack-kassian/

behindthenet.ca

nhl.com