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Kassian Enters NHL Substance Abuse Program |
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The Montreal Canadiens have suspended without pay Zack Kassian pending his successful completion of Stage Two of the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program (SABH) of the NHL and NHLPA.
According to the NHL's press release, Kassian “will be suspended without pay until cleared for on-ice competition by the program administrators.”
Speaking of being suspended without pay, here’s a key detail:
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that Kassian's $2 million salary will not count against Montreal's salary cap until he completes his suspension.
My Take:
I'm happy that Kassian and the two people who were in the truck at the time of the accident were not seriously injured.
I first met Kassian when he was a key role players for the 2011 Team Canada World Junior Championships squad that was hosted by Buffalo. Kassian was played a man's game in that tournament. There was a ton of pressure on him to play well because of Buffalo selecting him in the first round of the NHL Draft. He handled the pressure like a champ. He was line mates with fellow Sabres prospect Marcus Foligno and Columbus Blue Jackets star Ryan Johnsen. Kassian didn't disappoint for Team Canada.
I spoke with Kassian many times in his time with the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Amerks. He always struck me as young man who was trying to find his way to consistency in the NHL. He was young and brash, burly and badass. He would show glimpses of the greatness that made him an OHL star and first round draft choice. He struggled to impress then head coach Lindy Ruff and then GM Darcy Regier. His only consistency was his inconsistency. He was traded to Vancouver in exchange for Cody Hodgson at the NHL trade deadline in 2012.
I wish him good health in his recovery.
The good news is that former Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks and current Montreal Canadiens power forward Zack Kassian wasn't driving his pick up truck when it collided with a tree at 6:30 am on Sunday morning in Montreal. The bad news is that Kassian was in the vehicle along with an 18 and 20 year old at the time of the collision in the pre-dawn hours.
There are so many questions and not enough answers right now. Kassian has yet to speak publicly about his situation which is understandable.
Kassian, 24, suffered a broken nose, lacerations and a broken left foot as a result of the car accident .
Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin didn't mince his words when he blasted Kassian at a presser in Montreal on Monday morning.
“I don’t have all the information, but it’s disappointing to say the least,” said Bergevin. “I addressed the whole team this morning.
“I’m a firm believer in character and that’s a lack of character and judgment on his part,” Bergevin told reporters. “I don’t know how many wake up calls you get.”
Kassian is no stranger to late night antics in his hockey career. The Windsor, Ontario native better get his act together quickly or he is going to be a foot note in NHL history. He's playing for his third team since being drafted by the Sabres in the first round (13th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.
“(Kassian) was all bloodied up and stuff. He was in a daze,” a witness told the Montreal Gazette. “He had a hard time walking, and he almost took a fall.”
Earlier this summer, Bergevin traded Habs fan favorite Brandon Prust to Vancouver in exchange for Kassian. The trade is looking like a huge bust right now for the Canadiens who will be without Kassian for an extended period of time.
Days after the trade to Montreal, Kassian told the Montreal Gazette that he felt that Montreal woul dbe the place where he would finally become the player that NHL GMs and scouts have always projected him to be.
“As you grow older, you mature,” Kassian said after the trade. “I really feel like Montreal’s a great fit for me. I’m ready to do everything to help the team win. I’m excited to get there. At the end of the day, nobody wants to get traded two times. But it’s a learning curve.”
Kassian will have a tough time cracking the Habs' opening night roster with a broken foot and a jacked up face.
Bergevin is not a happy man right about now.
"6:30 in the morning is a decision he made that we don't support."
Thanks, Canadiens.com
Methinks that Bergevin is going to rip into Kassian when he finally gets a chance to speak with his newest employee. The two men have yet to have a conversation about the truck accident.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
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The NHL have acted swiftly, suddenly and seriously on the Raffi Torres head shot on Jakub Silfverberg.
I applaud the NHL throwing the book at Torres who is not stranger to this type of thoughtless, dangerous on-ice conduct.
The San Jose Sharks S'Der has been suspended for 41 games, without pay, by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Torres earned a match penalty for interference and his illegal head check of Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg during a preseason game in Anaheim on Saturday night.
The principle point of contact was the head of Silfverberg.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Torres will forfeit $440,860.29. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
I fully expect Torres to appeal the suspension via the NHL Players Association.
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