from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,

Teams have called but the trade value of Kassian is sliding like the price of oil. And unless general manager Jim Benning can acquire a player of similar stature in return — a big body for a big body — then the Canucks would become an even smaller club trying to rub shoulders with the big boys in California. If not for an ankle injury to Brad Richardson, Kassian wouldn’t have play Monday because the only motivational card coach Willie Desjardins can play is the healthy-scratch card. That’s because the wide-eyed boyish enthusiasm that Kassian exuded and cut him some slack has gone away and those dozen points in 19 games to close out last season seem like a mirage. Even advanced statistics don’t help Kassian’s cause because the opposition is scoring at will against him at even strength.

The fear has always been that giving up on Kassian may only see him catch fire with another club. That’s understandable. He has the tools but in his fourth season, he has 27 goals in 187 career NHL games. Kassian did miss five games with a knee injury this season and a Nov. 25 finger fracture kept him out until Jan. 3, so there’s something to be said for being out of sight and out of sync.

As a physical force and potential 20-goal scorer, who has another year left at $2 million US, he’s a good fit. As an unproductive and inconsistent enigma, the bigger fear may be hanging on to a project who has become a problem. It’s up to Kassian to change that conversation.

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