Confirmed with Link: Lightning re-sign Andrej Sustr (2 years, one-way, $1.45M AAV)

[Houdas]

Šustr resigned

http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=772996&navid=DL|TBL|home

Click to read more...

 

[Hoek]

Cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth over paying a bottom pair guy a little amount of money.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Reasonable cap hit.

 

[FinnLightning26]

Sigh. Knew this was coming but was hoping for the best. From what I've seen from him, I don't know why we keep investing time and money into him. I've seen nothing that indicates he's going to break out eventually. He doesn't have any offensive ability. He isn't a good skater. His physicality is that of a 5'4 player. He gets caught out of position continually. His only attribute is his long reach.

 

[These Are The Days]

le sigh

 

[Iceman]

Just get rid of Carle at least

 

[DFC]

I'm not a fan of Sustr, but this is a good deal for the team. It looks like a deal they made with Anthony DeAngelo in mind, really. Two years, with Coburn's contract coming up a year from now, gives us a little bit of cushion on the right side to ease DeAngelo in if he's ready. And if he's not, it buys us time, while not committing to anything we can't live with.

Sustr is a $1.45m defenseman, believe it or not. That might actually be a discount.

 

[Todd1a]

I'm not a fan of Sustr, but this is a good deal for the team. It looks like a deal they made with Anthony DeAngelo in mind, really. Two years, with Coburn's contract coming up a year from now, gives us a little bit of cushion on the right side to ease DeAngelo in if he's ready. And if he's not, it buys us time, while not committing to anything we can't live with.

Sustr is a $1.45m defenseman, believe it or not. That might actually be a discount.

I would have just paid him the standard one year tender. But if he breaks out next year then this is a steal for two years. If he stinks then at least it's only two years.

 

[More 2004]

I like it. Good cap hit.

 

[FinnLightning26]

It's not the money for me. If we hold on to Carle, Nesterov is going to be behind those two wastes of a rosterspot again. There's about a million times more potential of Nesterov becoming a useful NHL defenseman than there's in Sustr.

 

[DFC]

It's not the money for me. If we hold on to Carle, Nesterov is going to be behind those two wastes of a rosterspot again. There's about a million times more potential of Nesterov becoming a useful NHL defenseman than there's in Sustr.

Nesterov's spot has pretty much nothing to do with Sustr.

 

[FinnLightning26]

Nesterov's spot has pretty much nothing to do with Sustr.

I know how this organization feels about playing left handed players on the left side and right handed players on the right but it shouldn't be that black and white. Coburn is left handed and can play right side and so can Garrison. You shouldn't keep someone on the team just because he's right handed and frankly, it seemed that was the only reason Sustr was in the lineup at times this season. We can't keep that third pairing intact going into next year.

 

[LightningStrikes]

I know how this organization feels about playing left handed players on the left side and right handed players on the right but it shouldn't be that black and white. Coburn is left handed and can play right side and so can Garrison. You shouldn't keep someone on the team just because he's right handed and frankly, it seemed that was the only reason Sustr was in the lineup at times this season. We can't keep that third pairing intact going into next year.

While handedness surely was a factor it's not the only reason. This is a young player with a huge body, long reach and - for his size - good skating we're talking about. The kid logged 20+ minutes several times last season - his first full season in the NHL. He's only 24 years old, you expect him to grow into his role, to mature, to learn from this long season and deep playoff run he had the chance to take part in. So let's see what he can do! Letting him go just like that would be bad asset management.

Carle-Sustr didn't work in the playoffs against the top teams in the league. I, too, was screaming at my TV screen way to often when they were on the ice, fumbling pucks, getting outmuscled and caught out of position. We still don't know how the whole situation with Carle is going to play out. The off-season is young, a lot of things can happen. Carle could have been exhausted, maybe he was still dealing with an injury. I'm sure Sustr was experiencing fatigue as well after playing 98 tough games this season. Maybe splitting them up is key. Maybe Sustr will be gone at the TDL. Who knows. Let him mature, work on some things in the off-season, and we'll go from there.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

i like thee deal if he shows even a glimmer of hope is a fair deal and we can easily move him if when needed so is solid like is 2 years and the money myself good deal for us looking ahead i do see slater passing him quickly but he has to just play ok with that size and i think he can do that on a part time basis so we can move him in next two years if needed

 

[DFC]

I know how this organization feels about playing left handed players on the left side and right handed players on the right but it shouldn't be that black and white. Coburn is left handed and can play right side and so can Garrison. You shouldn't keep someone on the team just because he's right handed and frankly, it seemed that was the only reason Sustr was in the lineup at times this season. We can't keep that third pairing intact going into next year.

It is the way Yzerman does things though, and he's had a lot of success with it, so Nesterov and Sustr aren't ever going to be in direct competition for a spot.

Coburn is a different case, because he's actually a right-side D who happens to be left-handed. He has years of experience. Dion Phaneuf is another guy who plays his opposite side. But most guys aren't nearly as effective playing their opposite side.

It's a system that works. Sustr's safe because we don't have a better option on that side. And it's probably not a good idea to break Nesterov into the league playing an unnatural position just because he has more upside than Sustr.

 

[MattM92]

Don't hate the contract, I just don't think Sustr is any good. Although I'll take Sustr at 1.45 over Carle at 5.5 any day of the week.

 

[Hoek]

Don't hate the contract, I just don't think Sustr is any good. Although I'll take Sustr at 1.45 over Carle at 5.5 any day of the week.

Yep. And anybody we'd sign to replace Sustr would cost more and could even even be worse.

 

[FinnLightning26]

While handedness surely was a factor it's not the only reason. This is a young player with a huge body, long reach and - for his size - good skating we're talking about. The kid logged 20+ minutes several times last season - his first full season in the NHL. He's only 24 years old, you expect him to grow into his role, to mature, to learn from this long season and deep playoff run he had the chance to take part in. So let's see what he can do! Letting him go just like that would be bad asset management.

Carle-Sustr didn't work in the playoffs against the top teams in the league. I, too, was screaming at my TV screen way to often when they were on the ice, fumbling pucks, getting outmuscled and caught out of position. We still don't know how the whole situation with Carle is going to play out. The off-season is young, a lot of things can happen. Carle could have been exhausted, maybe he was still dealing with an injury. I'm sure Sustr was experiencing fatigue as well after playing 98 tough games this season. Maybe splitting them up is key. Maybe Sustr will be gone at the TDL. Who knows. Let him mature, work on some things in the off-season, and we'll go from there.

I hope he can improve. I'll gladly be wrong on this one. I just don't see how he's going to be anything more than #7 on a good team.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Very reasonable deal.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Over paid bum, get this kid off the team already.

 

[The Underboss]

Good length and $$$.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

SFY had no choice but to re-sign him, we have no depth on the right side. I'll give Sustr another chance but at almost 25 he's starting to run out of time. Good luck Andrej, that would make our lives easier if you found a way to become a legit nhler.

Thanks.

 

[DFC]

It's security more than anything. I mean, the length and $ make it kind of clear that TB aren't 100% sold on him. It's up to Witkowksi and/or, dare I say it, DeAngelo to jump him on the depth chart. If that happens, then we've got a $1.45 extra D... which is about right.

And Sustr as a #6/7 is fine (any higher than that and, yeah, there are problems). Definitely better than anyone we could get on the open market for a similar price.

The real issue is Carle's money as a #5, but even that isn't going to be pressing until next year. Maybe Yzerman is waiting until either Nesterov or Koekkoek can definitively take Carle's spot. Or maybe there just aren't any buyers. There's no way they watched Carle last season and were pleased by what they're paying for.

 

[Crunchrulz]

It is wonderful to see the organization continue to put thier faith in Sustr's progress as he returns for his fourth seaon. His contributions to the third pairing will continue to reap major rewards for the Lightning.

 

[DFC]

It is wonderful to see the organization continue to put thier faith in Sustr's progress as he returns for his fourth seaon. His contributions to the third pairing will continue to reap major rewards for the Lightning.

This deal doesn't look like a huge vote of confidence to me. It seems kind of the opposite. They're keeping him around without actually making much of a commitment.

Chicago didn't even play their bottom pairing guys. Sustr only looks worse than your average #6 because Coop flattens icetime so much that it leaves him exposed. (I say that as a guy who doesn't really think much of Sustr, but thinks this is a good deal anyway.)