For many Buffalo Sabres fans, last night’s game against the Boston Bruins failed to hit the “revenge” spot. Sure, Milan Lucic was forced to drop the mitts, but the B’s got the last laugh in what was - to many - a frustrating shootout win. The Sabres are generally known for being a team that develops pint-sized forwards (see: Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis and in a previous life, Danny Briere), but they just called up a big, mean exception to the rule: Zack Kassian.
I’m not sure I agree with WGR 550’s notion that Kassian is already a household name, but there’s no question that the budding power forward has built up a notorious reputation for bending (and sometimes breaking) the rules. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 228 lbs. and brings a killer instinct, but also sports the offensive upside you’d expect from a guy who went 13th overall in 2009.
In other words, Kassian might be the Sabres’ answer to - you guessed it - Milan Lucic. Maybe the talent and mean streaks are different (some might argue that Lucic has more of the former while Kassian could carry a little more of the latter), but Kassian silences the argument that Buffalo has no one who can make the Lucics of the world pay for their tomfoolery.
In fact, bloodthirsty Buffloans might have been happier if he got his first cup of coffee at the NHL level a day or two sooner ...