Brandon Sutter | #20 | C

[Qwags]

We have yet to see what Sutter can truly bring. I think he'll be an excellent replacement for Bones.

[sedinsforever]

That kind of sucks.

 

Bonino's first season with the Pens...wins the Stanley Cup.

 

Sutter's first season with the Canucks.....injured early in the season, comes back for a few games, and then injured again...

 

What a bad season for the guy.

 

I have faith in him. He's a Sutter; Sutters never fail. And I'm sure he'll make his family name proud. I can't wait for the season and see what he can truly bring. He's been good despite his short season so I'm very excited.

[Cramarossa]

I'm definitely excited for Suttsy's return. I have a feeling he'll live up to the hype and more. Can't wait to see him for a full healthy season! 

[Maniwaki Canuck]

I'd like to see Sutter split shutdown assignments with Bo at a 60/40 rate.  It would be interesting if the two switched wingers situationally, starting with guys like Burrows, Dorsett and even Hansen in D zone starts, and moving to guys like Sven, Rodin and Ericksson for O zone starts.  That's way too AV for Willie, I know, but it would be one way to determine what these guys are capable of offensively when given more offensive wingers. 

Sutter was lethal with the twins on the pp but there's probably not much chance of that happening again with Ericksson on board.  Much as I want to see Bo and Sven play together, Sutter could clearly benefit from his playmaking too.  Sharing these opportunities situationally would be a pretty fair way to give each of them a chance. 

[Hairy Kneel]

I can't wait for Sutter to teach our young guys the 'Sutter' way game in game out. If anyone can mentor I believe Sutter can in his Sutter style.

[bleedblue2017]

On 2016-05-29 at 11:12 PM, Outsiders said:

Hopefully Sutter can stay healthy for the full 82 next season. Feel like he is capable of putting up 40 points, so I wanna see him go out and do it.

I agree, but i think he could do anywhere between 40-60pts. He was going at a pretty good clip last year until he was injured. If he was healthy all season last year he would have put up about 55pts. If WD were to put Virtanen and Granlund with Sutter, this might be a sweet line.

[Boudrias]

14 hours ago, Maniwaki Canuck said:

I'd like to see Sutter split shutdown assignments with Bo at a 60/40 rate.  It would be interesting if the two switched wingers situationally, starting with guys like Burrows, Dorsett and even Hansen in D zone starts, and moving to guys like Sven, Rodin and Ericksson for O zone starts.  That's way too AV for Willie, I know, but it would be one way to determine what these guys are capable of offensively when given more offensive wingers. 

Sutter was lethal with the twins on the pp but there's probably not much chance of that happening again with Ericksson on board.  Much as I want to see Bo and Sven play together, Sutter could clearly benefit from his playmaking too.  Sharing these opportunities situationally would be a pretty fair way to give each of them a chance. 

I suspect Sutter will be the 2C and Horvat the 3C at the beginning of the season. I say that because Van's FO% was one of the worst in the NHL last year. Sutter can take 2C draws which should allow Horvat a easier opponent. I expect Horvat will get his points this year but want him to regain his confidence on the d-side of the game. He has had a tough first 2 years in the sense that he has been rushed into situations.

 

All this considered if either of these players get hot I expect WD will line juggle to accommodate that.   

[komodo0921]

27 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

I suspect Sutter will be the 2C and Horvat the 3C at the beginning of the season. I say that because Van's FO% was one of the worst in the NHL last year. Sutter can take 2C draws which should allow Horvat a easier opponent. I expect Horvat will get his points this year but want him to regain his confidence on the d-side of the game. He has had a tough first 2 years in the sense that he has been rushed into situations.

 

All this considered if either of these players get hot I expect WD will line juggle to accommodate that.   

I'd like to see Sutter as our everyday 2C for two reasons.

1) We really get to see what we have in Sutter and re-evaluate at the end of the season, as to whether he can play 2C or is, truly,      a 3C.

2) Management needs to slow down Bo's playing time. Yes, he got his share of points but he really was lacking on the defensive        side. He slots in nicely at 3C where he isn't pressured to produce big numbers and can concentrate more on rounding out his         game. I believe he has so much more to offer this team and he's far from peaking. I would've preferred him to be in the AHL         after his first season (much like Virtanen now) but that's no longer an option. I think 10-12 minutes a game in an every day             third line will make him more effective and, imo, make him better in the long run, taking over 2C in a couple seasons on a full         time basis.

[Boudrias]

On ‎7‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 10:22 AM, komodo0921 said:

I'd like to see Sutter as our everyday 2C for two reasons.

1) We really get to see what we have in Sutter and re-evaluate at the end of the season, as to whether he can play 2C or is, truly,      a 3C.

2) Management needs to slow down Bo's playing time. Yes, he got his share of points but he really was lacking on the defensive        side. He slots in nicely at 3C where he isn't pressured to produce big numbers and can concentrate more on rounding out his         game. I believe he has so much more to offer this team and he's far from peaking. I would've preferred him to be in the AHL         after his first season (much like Virtanen now) but that's no longer an option. I think 10-12 minutes a game in an every day             third line will make him more effective and, imo, make him better in the long run, taking over 2C in a couple seasons on a full         time basis.

I think you are asking a critical question for the center position. Totally agree that Benning has to know where Sutter fits and the injury last year put that assessment back a season. I have no doubt that Horvat will be the 2C on a CUP contending roster. IMHO the org still does not have the 1C prospect they have to have when Henrik retires.

 

I am quite comfortable with Horvat's TOI at 14 - 16 minutes based on his 2ndPP time.  

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

Iain MacIntyre: Forgotten Brandon Sutter is the Canucks' third big summer addition

 

IAIN MACINTYRE(Vancouver Sun)

Published: September 11, 2016

Updated: September 11, 2016 9:25 PM

Filed Under:

The Province > Sports > Hockey

 

You know about the first-line scorer the Vancouver Canucks signed in free-agency and the bruising defenceman acquired in trade, but you may have forgotten about the key two-way centre they’re also adding this season.

Brandon Sutter played very little for the Canucks between his two major injuries last year. And his final game, Feb. 9, was so long ago, it’s easy to forget he’s still on the NHL team.

When he was obtained 14 months ago from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sutter was regarded as a core piece in general manager Jim Benning’s rebuild, a two-way centre who would play in all situations, streamline the workloads for Henrik Sedin and Bo Horvat and bridge the professional gap between those two centres near the opposite ends of their careers.

Then Sutter played 16 games before requiring hernia surgery.

Then he played only four more upon his return before breaking his jaw.

The 27-year-old missed 62 of the Canucks’ final 66 games as the team plunged toward the bottom of the standings and missed the Stanley Cup playoffs by a mile.

It was difficult to remember which of the many Sutters he was when some commentators declared in June that the Penguins “won” the trade because former Canuck Nick Bonino, who had scuffled through a mediocre regular season, had a brilliant playoffs setting up Penguins sniper Phil Kessel as Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup.

Perhaps we should at least allow Sutter to compete in the who-won-the-trade competition.

Winger Loui Eriksson, who has three goals in two warmup games skating with Hank and Danny Sedin for Sweden at the World Cup, cost the Canucks only money when he signed with Vancouver on July 1. Defenceman Erik Gudbranson, who provides the top-four size and physical presence on the blue-line that the Canucks have largely lacked since Willie Mitchell was allowed to leave in 2010 and win his Stanley Cups elsewhere, was acquired from the Florida Panthers in May.

But Sutter, fully healthy, should still be near the Canucks’ epicentre this season. He’ll get many of the defensive matchups that overwhelmed Horvat, 21, at times last year and take a least a couple of shifts a game away from Henrik Sedin, who turns 36 in two weeks.

Asked if he felt he’d even had the chance to show people here what kind of player he is, Sutter said: “I guess after eight years, you hope people know what to expect from you. I know what kind of player I am and nothing was really going to change. Everyone wants to score more goals, get more points, things like that. But after being in the league eight years, you realize the biggest thing is just winning and losing. That’s all it comes down to and nothing else matters.”

Even with Sutter, Eriksson and Gudbranson, the Canucks will still be mightily challenged to win enough this season to make the playoffs. Absolutely they will be better than the 28^th team that went 11-21-2 the last three months of the season and finished with 75 points. But will they be 20 points better?

“If people are picking us for the bottom, that’s perfect for us,” Sutter said after his first informal skate with teammates in Vancouver last Thursday. “That’s great. Our expectations in the dressing room are very different.

“I think we’ve got a core group that looks at last season and thinks we’re very underrated coming into this year. You start with Hank and Danny and look down the list and there’s eight of 10 of us with experience who can play at a high level, and we’re all two-way players. Especially at forward, we’re all two-way guys.

“Every year in June you watch a team win the Stanley Cup, and you get kind of a sick, jealous feeling watching someone else win. You just wish so bad it’s you one day. That’s what we’re here for and there’s really no reason for us not to go after it.”

It was strange, Sutter admitted, watching his former team win the Stanley Cup in June. He spent three seasons in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins under-performed in the playoffs.

“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “When I was there, I think there was a whole different feel to that team than what there is now. I think there are maybe only nine of 10 players still there. There’s a new coach. The way they started last year was the way we finished the previous year. Something was missing, something just not clicking. They made a coaching change and it seemed everything flipped from there.”

Sutter’s spring was far happier than his winter. He got married – his wife, Giselle, grew up on a farm about a mile from the Sutter place outside Red Deer, Alta. – and travelled to Africa.

Still, it was the longest off-season of his life. The Canucks “shut down” Sutter on March 20, which he says is when his summer training program essentially began. It seems like forever since he has played. That’s about how long the Canucks’ dismal season lasted without him.

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/vancouver+canucks/iain+macintyre+forgotten+brandon+sutter+canucks+third/12185595/story.html

 

 

[Hairy Kneel]

Hahaha you know it is like getting a new guy. We hardly had him on the ice last year. This will be good to see how he stabilizes the minutes between the lines. 

[MeanSeanBean]

I'm really excited to see Sutter play more this year. I was a huge fan of the trade when we made it, and even picked him up in my hockey pool until he went out the first time. He was putting up decent numbers (albeit with the twins), winning faceoffs and looked strong defensively. I'm really curious to see who ends up being his linemates, and if he slots into the 2nd or 3rd line. If Sutter can provide the services that Benning believed he can through out the year it will make our team much more interesting this season.

[N4ZZY]

22 hours ago, shayster007 said:

I'm really excited to see Sutter play more this year. I was a huge fan of the trade when we made it, and even picked him up in my hockey pool until he went out the first time. He was putting up decent numbers (albeit with the twins), winning faceoffs and looked strong defensively. I'm really curious to see who ends up being his linemates, and if he slots into the 2nd or 3rd line. If Sutter can provide the services that Benning believed he can through out the year it will make our team much more interesting this season.

i think with the way Bo developed and excelled last year. it makes sense to me to put him on the second line centre and continue to develop his offensive game as well as his defensive game. Sutter to me is your typical third line shutdown centreman. would give Desjardins a lot of flexibility. i actually can see Horvat and Sutter switching between the second and third lines throughout the year. But knowing Willie. he's going to put Bo on the third line with limited offensive chances. which only means that he'd be lucky to even reach the 40 point plateau this season. #firewillie

Edited September 15, 2016 by N4ZZY

[Cramarossa]

3 minutes ago, N4ZZY said:

i think with the way Bo developed and excelled last year. it makes sense to me to put him on the second line centre and continue to develop his offensive game as well as his defensive game. Sutter to me is your typical third line shutdown centreman. would give Desjardins a lot of flexibility. i actually can see Horvat and Sutter switching between the second and third lines throughout the year. But knowing Willie. he's going to put Bo on the third line with limited offensive chances. which only means that he'd be lucky to even reach the 40 point plateau this season. #firewillie

You want Willie fired because he'll likely shelter Bo just a little bit longer? Bo's game was garbage in the first half of last season after being thrust into more responsibility than he was ready for. He definitely turned it around (he's a real beaut) but he could use the kid gloves a bit longer. Let him earn the 2C spot; he'll overthrow Suttsy in due time.

[TimberWolf]

Just now, ThrustyPrusty89 said:

You want Willie fired because he'll likely shelter Bo just a little bit longer? Bo's game was garbage in the first half of last season after being thrust into more responsibility than he was ready for. He definitely turned it around (he's a real beaut) but he could use the kid gloves a bit longer. Let him earn the 2C spot; he'll overthrow Suttsy in due time.

 

Bo will be played like he's Manny Malhotra and it'll be up to him to shelter the second line and somehow be relied to do it with plugs like Dorsett and Etem on his line.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

3 minutes ago, ThrustyPrusty89 said:

You want Willie fired because he'll likely shelter Bo just a little bit longer? Bo's game was garbage in the first half of last season after being thrust into more responsibility than he was ready for. He definitely turned it around (he's a real beaut) but he could use the kid gloves a bit longer. Let him earn the 2C spot; he'll overthrow Suttsy in due time.

Why doesn't Sutter have to earn it?  They have similar "bests" in points.  Myself, I would stop short of firing Willie, but I would have him on a short leash.  Bo should have every opportunity to be 2C...the exact same opportunity as Sutter...who has done nothing in my view to show he is a 2C himself.  From Willie's comments at the end of last season, Bo will be pigeonholed in a defensive role.

[N4ZZY]

1 hour ago, ThrustyPrusty89 said:

You want Willie fired because he'll likely shelter Bo just a little bit longer? Bo's game was garbage in the first half of last season after being thrust into more responsibility than he was ready for. He definitely turned it around (he's a real beaut) but he could use the kid gloves a bit longer. Let him earn the 2C spot; he'll overthrow Suttsy in due time.

No. I don't want Willie fired for sheltering Bo a little longer. But I think Bo's showed in the second half of last season, that he's capable of that top six forwrad. Sutter, in my opinion, is more suited for the third line centreman. He's been used there in that position and role for basically all of his career. To expect much more, I'm not sure is realistic. I agree that Bo will eventually take over from Sutter in that second line centre position. 40 points in his second professional season from a 21 year old isn't earning it yet? I'm not sure what is. If Bo had a solid (not even spectacular) first half of last year he would have eclipsed 50 points. 

 

 

[SilentSam]

 

On September 12, 2016 at 6:20 PM, Hairy Kneel said:

Hahaha you know it is like getting a new guy. We hardly had him on the ice last year. This will be good to see how he stabilizes the minutes between the lines. 

Heard Sutter was giving up #21 to Eriksson, and will wear #20... Hopefully not too many fans bought a Sutter Jersey last year  

[higgyfan]

Nobody talking about Sutter?  The guy is looking really good so far and appears to be coming back with a vengeance after that horrible, injury laden season last year.

 

He plays such a 'heavy' game and can score as well.  He's mostly a crash the net kind of player, but with that speed he really can be effective at both ends. 

 

Anyone think Bo has a very similar game?   They're not play-making Cs by any means, but have that power forward thingy going on.  Defensive workhorses that can score.  These are the players that win important games for a team.

[darinbadershouldamadeit]

I just finished watching After Hours and he was the guest. They roasted him a bit about his lifelong dream to be a trailer hitch salesman. And apparently Loui owes him 51 gaols this year to keep the #21 jersey. Sutters are pretty awesome...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/hours-brandon-sutter/