The biggest move of the young Ontario Hockey League season came from the Vancouver Canucks.
By sending 19-year-old forward Cody Hodgson back to the Brampton Battalion, the makeup of the OHL season has taken a dramatic shift.
Hodgson, a first round pick of the Canucks in 2008, instantly becomes one of the top players in junior and his return has sent a ripple effect felt throughout the league.
"I’m surprised he’s sent back based upon the talent that he is and the type of year that he had last year," commented an OHL general manager.
Hodgson appeared destined for the National Hockey League’s Canucks this season after becoming a household name in the junior circuit. He won gold with Canada at the world junior championships, was the Most Outstanding Player of the OHL and Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year -- all after being a late cut of the Canucks the previous year.
A back injury while working out this summer derailed his training camp in Vancouver. Hodgson has yet to join the Battalion since being sent back as he seeks a second opinion on his injured back.
The Canucks had no other choice than to send Hodgson to the OHL’s Battalion.
League rules stipulate a player must have either played four seasons in major junior or be 20-years-old to play in the American Hockey League.
He has not been available for comment since the demotion and the team said there’s no timetable on his return to action.
Since Hodgson remains unavailable for comment, it’s unsure how hard he is taking the demotion. But given his success in the OHL last year and an extended run with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in the Calder Cup final, many have speculated how disappointing it must have been for Hodgson to return to junior.
"Extremely disappointing," said Doug Anderson, play-by-play voice of the Battalion for Rogers TV. "And who could blame him for feeling that way after the sensational season he had last year."
"For him to be sent back, I can see it being devastating," an OHL GM added.
So where do Cody Hodgson and Brampton head coach and general manager Stan Butler go from here?
The most obvious scenario is a trade to a contender. Since the Battalion lost the core of last year’s Eastern Conference championship team, they don’t figure to be in contention for the league crown this season, even with Hodgson in the lineup.
His return to the Battalion, and possible availability on the trade front, is a welcome sign for general managers throughout the league.
"I’d trade him, 100 per cent," affirmed one GM. "He’s not going to be happy going back to a situation there where they probably won’t contend. He probably wants to get out to a contender."
"I think from Stan’s perspective, and I’m not going to speak on what he is or what he is not going to do, but I think you have to look at all options," another GM said. "I think for Cody’s sake and for your franchise’s sake you look at all options and you have to make a decision based upon what you feel is right."
Before Hodgson becomes available on the trade front, assuming he does, he will need to be healthy. A return to the lineup this weekend is not out of the question, but since he has yet to join the Battalion and since the team has given no timetable for his return, his immediate future remains up in the air.
If Hodgson does become available in a trade, it’s unlikely he would don a new uniform until after the world juniors.
If he is traded, the impact could be huge.
"Obviously it makes things interesting in this league now that there’s a good player (available) out there," a GM said.
Brampton would command a king’s ransom for Hodgson, not unlike the package London sent Oshawa for John Tavares at last year’s trade deadline.
The possible addition of Hodgson could be the boost a team needs to make a run for the championship.
"I think it just depends on who acquires him and what they give up to acquire him," one GM noted. "There are some teams that Cody Hodgson definitely puts over the top. There are some teams that if Cody Hodgson goes to, he makes them a contender, but maybe doesn’t put them over the top."
"He has a special way of making those around him play to their highest level," Anderson said. "Not many players have that ability.
"(He’s) a coach’s dream to have on your team and a coach’s nightmare to play against."
The impact Hodgson can have on a hockey team is unquestionable. Once he returns to action, Brampton has a big decision on their hands thanks to the decision made by the Canucks.
