VANCOUVER – It was Jim Benning talking about Zack Kassian, but it sounded a lot like Mike Gillis talking about Cody Hodgson.
“We have spent a lot of time working with Zack Kassian. Trust me when I say that,” Benning said after dealing the big winger and a fifth-round draft pick to the Montreal Canadiens for rugged winger Brandon Prust on Wednesday.
Gillis, Benning’s predecessor as Canucks general manager, said pretty much the same thing when he traded away Hodgson for Kassian at the 2012 trade deadline.
The Kassian deal was the biggest Canuck news on the first day of NHL free agency.