Brandon Sutter

[Darth Vitale]

It's tough to evaluate a guy properly when the entire team including super stars are playing like dog **** every other night, but my general impressions so far:

+ More mobile than Staal and very good defensive awareness as ColePens said.

+ Quicker hands than Staal but hasn't been in our system long enough yet to produce much offensively. Chances have been few and far between, and like I said his line-mates have been playing like crap along with the rest of the team.

- Not nearly as physically imposing as Staal, so their defensive games are different. Staal is the more intimidating player in terms of slowing the other team down and I don't see that changing unless Sutter can add another 15 lbs of muscle without slowing down any. Call in Gary Roberts.

Seems he's a naturally skinny guy and so he physical makeup won't change much on account of his metabolism. Maybe as he gets into his upper 20s he could put on a few lbs of muscle (if he's still here). We'll see.

Overall I'm happy with the trade. Losing Staal for nothing vs. losing him for a very solid replacement a good D prospect and a great D prospect... hard to be anything but thankful. I'd say on balance you got the best player in the deal but we got enough assets that Shero will be able to use the added D prospect depth to acquire another F. So in the grand scheme of things the final results of the trade may not be known for us yet; I think it will have consequences beyond the specific players involved.

 

[WVP]

Way too early to make any real judgement. This team is playing like ass right now.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Let's be honest, he's no Jordan Staal. Staal has a presence on the ice that Sutter simply doesn't. I think Sutter's going to be a very good 3rd line center for the penguins for a long time, but Jordan Staal he ain't.

I think the trade was fine considering Staal didn't want to be here anymore, but man do i miss having him on this team.

 

[Darth Vitale]

And so the myth-making begins.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Ya, I appreciate what Staal did, but let's not pretend like he didnt disappear for weeks at a time, especially when Crosby and Malkin where in the lineup.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Where Staal has him beat is in two areas. Offensive production, but on this team that is a small loss given the firepower we have year in and year out. But the bigger loss is puck possession. Staal has that loooooooooooooong reach, and once he got the puck he was nearly impossible to pry off of it.

Sutter seems to be a more traditional defensive center. He has more speed and 'niftiness' to his game. He will make you Ooooh and Ahhhh more than Staal with his skating and Passing, and even in how he scores in my opinion. Staal is more meat and potatoes, one of those guys you do not Ooooh and Ahh over but who at the end of the day is up there on the score sheet and who will do all those little games that help you win. He does have 5 points in 5 games already.

But the trade was not Sutter for Staal, so a lot of this is irrelevant. We got as good as we could have.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Where Staal has him beat is in two areas. Offensive production, but on this team that is a small loss given the firepower we have year in and year out. But the bigger loss is puck possession. Staal has that loooooooooooooong reach, and once he got the puck he was nearly impossible to pry off of it.

Sutter seems to be a more traditional defensive center. He has more speed and 'niftiness' to his game. He will make you Ooooh and Ahhhh more than Staal with his skating and Passing, and even in how he scores in my opinion. Staal is more meat and potatoes, one of those guys you do not Ooooh and Ahh over but who at the end of the day is up there on the score sheet and who will do all those little games that help you win. He does have 5 points in 5 games already.

But the trade was not Sutter for Staal, so a lot of this is irrelevant. We got as good as we could have.

So far it's been a loss, especially when DB throws out Crosby/Malkin when he doesn't know what to do and we're then treated to two or three awful lines. It's actually quite dreadful and it's showed in the box scores so far. Like I said, Sutter's a good defensive player but that lines needs to do something offensively.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Ya, I appreciate what Staal did, but let's not pretend like he didnt disappear for weeks at a time, especially when Crosby and Malkin where in the lineup.

A-freakin'-men.

He really wasn't the second coming of Ron Francis, guys... I promise.

 

[eXile59]

He's been great defensively but it's very evident that he doesn't have the finish to bring anything above average offense. Which is fine. 30 to 35 points in 82 games & great defense is what we need from a third line center.

Losing Staal's offense has really hurt us especially with Kunitz showing his age. We really are a 3 player offense now which sucks & needs to be solved.

 

[JTG]

Sutter to me looks like one of those guys who makes a playoff series for a team. I could definitely see him being one of those x-factor guys in a playoff series where we get an outstanding offensive performance from him.