PTO: [EDM] F Brandon Sutter PTO with the Oilers (released)

[biturbo19]

The bolded is 100% correct and made him one of the strangest players I've ever seen. He'd basically produce the same numbers as a 4C that he would as a 2C. Good skater and a good shot who could score some nice individual goals off broken play but has absolutely zero ability to use his linemates and once competed an entire 82-game NHL season with only 1 primary assist (on a puck that bounced off his skate to a teammate).

Sutter was never anything more than a bottom-6 wing/4C in terms of ability level who should have been making $2 million tops as a utility player but his last name/draft position carried him to like 12 years of being overplayed/overpaid by NHL teams.

The other thing about Sutter is that he's *small*. Because hockey fans for some reason associate size with height rather than weight this 6'3 185 toothpick is considered a 'big player' but he's light, weak on the puck, and very poor along the boards and in puck battles.

I will say, i agree about the size point for the most part. His length combined with the skating did make him a pretty "rangy" player though. But that was definitely more useful in open ice, through the neutral zone, etc. With the puck on the wall, he was unlikely to come out of it a winner.

 

[MS]

I will say, i agree about the size point for the most part. His length combined with the skating did make him a pretty "rangy" player though. But that was definitely more useful in open ice, through the neutral zone, etc. With the puck on the wall, he was unlikely to come out of it a winner.

Yeah, he was a good low-event defensive player generally, especially against transition - his reach and skating played well, and he did read the play pretty well defensively (as opposed to offensively) and had a strong motor.

He really should have been a winger, where his lack of playmaking/vision would have been less of an issue.

 

[biturbo19]

Yeah, he was a good low-event defensive player generally, especially against transition - his reach and skating played well, and he did read the play pretty well defensively (as opposed to offensively) and had a strong motor.

He really should have been a winger, where his lack of playmaking/vision would have been less of an issue.

The times he was briefly tried there over his career though, it still never seemed to work as a Winger. It kind of took away his ability to use those strengths with his reach, skating, and reads defensively in open ice to advantage. Put him in more of those battles on the wall he wasn't great at. While still sort of dragging down whoever was stuck with him anyway because he was still so disjointed offensively.

I think he was just truly born to pilot a helicopter line.

 

[uncleben]

 

[AustonMarner]

Poor guy lost his whole career because of long covid from 2+ years ago. all the best in retirement Brandon

[MOD]