Hey, it’s the middle of summer so that means it’s totally the right time for my occasional foray into talking about hockey right?
Much to Walter and Sarah’s chagrin, July 1st usually has me obsessively checking my phone to follow the world of NHL hockey as it enters the first day of free agency. It’s like this nice little treat that they have for hockey fans in the middle of summer. Thanks NHL! Anyways, this year it was slightly less obstructive since I have an Android smart watch now, so each trade and signing just popped a little alert up on my watch. We live in the future you guys.
Much like Brandon Prust himself I saw that the Habs had traded for Zack Kassian and didn’t immediately know who we had traded for him. I was initially pretty pumped and Kassian himself pumped me up even more by sharing the hilarious picture you see on your right. Then I saw the details and was a little sad. Then I saw that the Habs were saving on cap and getting a younger/similar player in the mix and I convinced myself it was the right call. Prust is all heart and that’s definitely what the Canucks need so maybe this trade is a win/win for both teams.
Then, the more I read about the guy the more I became convinced that maybe, just maybe the Habs didn’t just make a good trade, they might have made a great trade. Kassian was drafted 13th overall in the 2009 entry draft. That’s a pretty high pick. All sorts of people lauded him as the second coming of a Milan Lucic type player who could move the puck, score goals and knock another man’s teeth out if push came to shove. That never really panned out. But maybe, just maybe, there’s still time. He’s only really played one full season. Isn’t it time that the Habs caught a break picking up a prospect that hasn’t really played to potential and ending up catching the diamond in the rough?
Lars Eller and Benoit Pouliot immediately spring to mind as first rounders the Habs picked up from trades who never really panned out with the Canadiens. Even more concerning are the first round picks the Habs have made themselves that just didn’t work out. Who can forget Andrei Kostitsyn? Or more recently Louis Leblanc? I don’t even want to think about the fact that as we speak Alex Galchenyuk doesn’t have an agent (because he fired him) and wants to play Center while the GM thinks he might only ever be a winger. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
