"I want to be your sledgehammer. Why don't you call my name?"

You may have noticed at the trade deadline the Vancouver Canucks dealt the ridiculously talented Cody Hodgson for a skating fridge named Zack Kassian. Why? I mean, on paper, this looks like an awful deal for Vancouver.

Kassian is gonna be their sledgehammer. Last season in the final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Canucks were pounded on by a bigger, meaner Boston Bruins team. Skilled players, like the Sedin twins, are a nice thing to have and they win you games during the regular season. But without proper physical support, players like the Sedins can be reduced to rubble during the playoffs.

The Oilers back in the Gretzky days understood the value in having a few meatheads handy. Of course, Dave Semenko was the NHL's Top Cop. If someone looked at Gretzky the wrong way, Semenko would take the offender, "on a little canoe ride". Translated, he'd beat a little respect into the opposition when required, making sure Gretzky and company could play a skilled game without fear.

The NHL is a very different place than it was back in the 80's, as the players are bigger. The skill and fitness level of players is ridiculous compared to before. The modern-day Top Cop looks more like Boston's Milan Lucic: A big player who can score goals, throw big hits, AND throw punches. There isn't much room on any NHL line-up for players who can't actually play. See the career of Steve MacIntyre if required for reference purposes.

When the Canucks dealt Hodgson for Kassian, they were looking for their Lucic. A beat stick who can score 20 goals and keep everyone else on the team safe. When you consider what Kassian will bring to the Canucks, especially the Sedins, the deal doesn't look like a Canucks loss anymore. It could be the deal that pushes the team over the top.

The Oilers don't have a "sledgehammer", but they need one. They could go outside the team and make a deal to bring someone in, but teams don't just give those types of players away. It would be better for everyone involved if the Oilers could find that guy from within the organization or at the NHL Draft.

Lennart Petrell...come on down.

Look, we've seen Petrell enough to know he's not a meanie. He's a nice guy who doesn't beat people up. However, Petrell hasn't seen much more than 4th line duty during this, his rookie season, and he still leads the Oilers in hits. And he's accomplished that with receiving about half as much ice time as everyone else.

So what would happen if the 6' 3", 200lbs Petrell played on a line with small forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle, for the purpose of being the physical presence? The experiment begins tonight against the Dallas Stars. Will it work? I don't sense people are feeling much confidence when it comes to this "experiment" but the Oilers season is more-or-less over, so now's the time to try things out. We know Petrell can hit, can skate, and does have some offense to his game. Perhaps he's too nice to be the sledgehammer the Oilers need, but we don't know until we try. What's the worst that could happen?

I'm personally quite surprised the Oilers have yet to re-sign Petrell. I have visions of a much more physical Oilers team next season, with both Petrell and meaty fellow-countryman Teemu Hartikainen fitting somewhere into the mix.

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