Edmonton Oilers Season in Review: Zack Kassian

After coming back from a rough point in his life in 2015-16, effectively restarting his career, Edmonton Oilers winger Zack Kassian continues to trend in the right direction.

On and off the ice, Kassian has shown toughness, determination, positivity and character with the Oilers. Here is how that all came together and helped him have an outstanding 2016-17 campaign with Edmonton.

Team Impact

Kassian proved to be a great player all-around for Edmonton. He was a great player on and off the ice and brought a lot of effort and leadership to the team. Not to mention, his overall will to win and ability helped him transform into a stand-out player and a fan favorite.

Edmonton Oilers

In addition, Kassian was a physical force for his team and helped add to the team’s aggressive mentality. There was a lot he brought to the team, and as he continues to find his speed and stride, he becomes a better player night in and night out. To add to that, he filled out the team’s bottom-six effectively.

The 26-year-old also took the time to improve his all-around game and sharpened his backchecking ability. Kassian was also a force that stuck up for his teammates and could also contribute scoring-wise.

Stats

Through 79 games this past year, Kassian finished with seven goals and 24 points, hitting the 20-point mark for the second time in his career. Also, he was a plus-4 and racked up 101 PIM and 201 hits. Offensively, he was able to fight for the puck and win battles. Defensively, he could lay on the hits and give his opponents a tougher time.

Kassian still has to improve possession-wise but is headed in the right direction. His 47 percent Corsi is two points higher than it was last year. And, though a -3.3 relative Corsi isn’t the best stat in the world, it’s a step forward from his metrics posted last season.

His ability carried over into the playoffs. Kassian collected three goals and 30 hits through 13 playoff games and was a clutch player for the team at critical times. He also had nine takeaways for just seven giveaways in the postseason.

Next: Edmonton Oilers Season in Review: Drake Caggiula

Overall Grade: B+

Kassian is a character player and is definitely a positive part of the team’s culture. The restricted free agent certainly performed well enough and rebounded in the right direction, and he deserves an extension. However, he still has to work to continue to build on the foundation he’s created for himself.