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Is Zack Kassian the #1 Power forward prospect?

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RomersWorld said:
Personally, I don't think Saad really compares to Kassian. I think Saad is already the better player even though he was drafted 2 years later and Saad has higher potential as well IMO. But Saad isn't a fighter and isn't really that physical. I think he'll be more like a James Neal, Max Pacioretty type player(potential, of course) instead of a Kassian type player. Kassian is more of a Bryan Bickell type guy who can fight. Kassian doesn't have the two-way game or hockey sense of Saad, but will be a 3rd line type player who is a great fighter, not so good defense and puts up 40 points in a PWF type mold IMO. Kassian is rare for the fact that he is big, decent offensively and can fight but still, not that valuable like a Lucic, Stewart, Simmonds, ect.
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1) I think Neal is more gritty/physical than you think he is.
2) I think Kassian has better hockey sense than you think he does too. He's kind of a unique power forward prospect because he's as much a playmaker as a goal-scorer. If he pans out, Vancouver's got a very valuable player on their hands.

ETA: If Kassian finds some consistency, I think he has the potential to be the best powerforward in the game. He has skill, size/strength, and a little bit of crazy.

As a homer, I have high hopes for Marcus Foligno, but I don't think he has the offensive upside of Kassian. I see him being most effective as a Hartnell-type player: a guy who agitates, is a bull along the boards, and has enough skill to keep up with top 6 players, but not the guy you build a line around.
 
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tsujimoto74 said:
1) I think Neal is more gritty/physical than you think he is.
2) I think Kassian has better hockey sense than you think he does too. He's kind of a unique power forward prospect because he's as much a playmaker as a goal-scorer. If he pans out, Vancouver's got a very valuable player on their hands.
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I agree with you.

Two-way play and skating has very little to do with the power forward label. Not sure where Romer was going with that.

Saad right now may be better, but I also think his game has less potential to gain moving forward. Not suggesting Saad won't improve more, he's a very good young player, but IMO he has less layers to add to his game compared to Kassian. Makes me pretty jealous Saad was Chicago's 4th pick in 2011 :(

Kassian is scratching the surface of what he'll become, I have no clue why anyone outside of a Hawks fan would compare him to Bryan Bickell.

Many Canucks fans draw the comparison to Bertuzzi, and even Bertuzzi in his prime didn't really fight much. What he did was use his size, intimidation factor coupled with his baby soft hands to take over games.

Kassian is 22. We didn't see Bertuzzi become a 50 point guy until the season he turned 25. Time is on Zack's side here.

Kassian has very good hockey sense, don't know where that bit came from either.

Not saying he's a sure thing, but if he develops, he'll be infinitely valuable to the Canucks and an almost impossible player to find.

As a Canucks fan, I'm hoping he gets there...it's too bad the fans of the team already think he should be there...

edit* to add. Power forward to me is skill coupled with intimidation. There are a lot of really good players in the league that have power in their games - Hossa for example is an extremely powerful player and his offensive, coupled with his defense makes him very valuable. But IMO, he doesn't fit the mold for my definition for the role.
 
No I would say either Wilson (if you want the best combination of bulling to the net, toughness, physicallity, and punishment), Forsberg, or Grigorenko have to be to of the top (not a baised judgement). Biggs, Matteau and Saad are a notch below. It will be tough to make a call for top three after the upcoming draft with Nichuskin, Mantha, Erne, and Stantini, etc.
 
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If 22 year olds are prospects then give me Brayden schenn every day of the week, more talented with an edge to his game still
 
ronnyweed said:
If 22 year olds are prospects then give me Brayden schenn every day of the week, more talented with an edge to his game still
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Yeah I dont really see Kass as a prospect anymore. A better thread title would be, "Is Zack Kassian the best up and coming power forward?"
 
ronnyweed said:
If 22 year olds are prospects then give me Brayden schenn every day of the week, more talented with an edge to his game still
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Maybe we're splitting hairs here, but the dude is still awfully young and only has 67 NHL games under his belt. He's still in the first half of his very first season as a full-time NHLer.

I'm not sure where the dividing line between prospect and non-prospect is, but I sort of think you at least need a season's worth of games under your belt first.
 
Unlike what most people think (and what I myself admittedly thought before he came to Vancouver), Kassian actually has rather good hockey IQ and overall awareness. So yeah, he could be that guy who becomes the next big power forward. He's a long way from that, but he has time. Here's hoping.
 
thecapsfan said:
No I would say either Wilson (if you want the best combination of bulling to the net, toughness, physicallity, and punishment), Forsberg, or Grigorenko have to be to of the top (not a baised judgement). Biggs, Matteau and Saad are a notch below. It will be tough to make a call for top three after the upcoming draft with Nichuskin, Mantha, Erne, and Stantini, etc.
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:huh:
Have you seen him play? He almost never takes penalties, doesn't ever fight, isn't really all that strong yet, and is not very good along the boards. He's got decent size, but he doesn't use it in a way that you could reasonably consider him a power forward, by any definition of the term.
 
tsujimoto74 said:
:huh:
Have you seen him play? He almost never takes penalties, doesn't ever fight, isn't really all that strong yet, and is not very good along the boards. He's got decent size, but he doesn't use it in a way that you could reasonably consider him a power forward, by any definition of the term.
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Some people literally just look at size to determine one's status as a power forward these days.
 
No love for Boone Jenner?

He's out playing Biggs in Oshawa by quite a bit.
 
bluechipbonzo said:
Needs to work on his skating, and more importantly, his conditioning.

Drop 15 pounds and call me in the morning.
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Thats funny, clearly you missed the memo of his attending Nike camp working his ass off and already dropping 15 lobsters this last off season.

If points are what you want of this guy he needs a better linemate then Booth who has NO vision or Passing ability, and a rookie center.

I have really lost respect for the coach in regards for developing any talent the last few years. Its like he hung up his hat after Kesler, Burrows and Bieksa graduated.
 
neksys said:
Maybe we're splitting hairs here, but the dude is still awfully young and only has 67 NHL games under his belt. He's still in the first half of his very first season as a full-time NHLer.

I'm not sure where the dividing line between prospect and non-prospect is, but I sort of think you at least need a season's worth of games under your belt first.
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You have a point and I think that if people want to rank Kassian as their #1 that's fine but they should list their criteria and other people in contention as well to give some relevance.
 
bluechipbonzo said:
Needs to work on his skating, and more importantly, his conditioning.

Drop 15 pounds and call me in the morning.
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Someone hasn't seen him in person before. He's ripped.


You win this thread's "You have absolutely, not one iota, of what you are talking about and call me in the morning award." ! :handclap::handclap::handclap:

But seriously. I've met him in person and fitted him for a suit; He's cut and trained with the Sedins in the off season.
 
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