Its Okay To Appreciate Zack Kassian

I’ve been guilty of undervaluing Zack Kassian as an Edmonton Oiler. I wanted the club, then led by Keith Gretzky, to move him at the trade deadline last year. I was okay, last October, with Kassian requesting a trade and being giver permission to seek one. After all, he hadn’t done much with the Oilers after his strong 2016-17 season and 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Then a move to the top line happened. Kassian joined Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and the trio took off. Kassian finished the season with a career-high 15 goals and looked like he belonged on the top line. This season, through just 21 games, Kassian already has seven goals. It’s a strong possibility, barring injury, that Kassian will score 20 for the first time in his career.

The main story from last night was obviously the performances of Draisaitl and McDavid, who finished with five and six points respectively. The next biggest takeaway from that victory? Kassian’s mammoth effort. The power forward set the tone in the opening minutes by flattening Nathan MacKinnon, who was a relative non-factor after that. He backed it up, too, taking on Matt Calvert in a fight seconds later.

Kassian later scored a goal, and ran rampant on the Avalanche all night long. He impacted the game in an old school way. You know, the kind of way Peter Chiarelli thought Milan Lucic would when he signed him to a massive free agent contract in July of 2016. This isn’t the first time it has happened this season either. I also highly doubt it will be the last time.

Kassian’s possession numbers are nothing to write home about. He’s got a Corsi For percentage of just 46.9%, while his Fenwick For is a little better at 47.4%. He’s not a huge drag on possession relative to his teammates, however, and does provide some key uses.

He adds a toughness element to the McDavid line, has enough skill to hang with the dynamic duo, and has the ability to retrieve pucks and keep the cycle going. Those last two points in particular are important when playing with McDavid and Draisaitl.

Six months ago, I never would have even entertained the idea of re-signing Kassian. I’m betting that a fair amount of Oilers fans were with me in that thought process. It’s okay to admit we were wrong. If the dollars are fair ($2.5 million per?) Kassian should be brought back. He’s a valuable piece and, honestly, is part of the leadership group in Edmonton.

Kassian has proven me very wrong in the 2019 calendar. He’s been given a legit opportunity and has run with it. You have to tip your cap to a guy that does that. It’s okay to appreciate Zack Kassian. It’s okay to believe that he’s a good player and can help this team.

I know I do.