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Brandon Sutter

Pacific Notes: Hall, Edler, Sutter, Sharks

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Taylor Hall hasn’t been with the Coyotes for long but already, there has been plenty of speculation as to whether or not the winger would be open to signing an extension with the team.  GM John Chayka indicated following the trade that they wouldn’t initiate discussions until after the season and Hall’s agent Darren Ferris confirmed to Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required) that he and his client are of the same mindset when it comes to holding off on negotiations.  Ferris did indicate that a new deal in the desert is definitely an option and suggested that making the move gives the Coyotes an opportunity they likely wouldn’t have otherwise had; inferring they wouldn’t have garnered much consideration on the open market next summer.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • The Canucks are getting closer to welcoming one veteran back while another is injured again. Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston reports that defenseman Alex Edler could return before the Christmas break, giving their back end one of their top players back.  He has been out since sustaining an upper-body injury back on November 30th.  However, after returning this week, center Brandon Sutter is banged up once again though head coach Travis Green stated that the issue is unrelated to the groin injury that had him on LTIR.
  • Sharks winger Kevin Labanc is dealing with an upper-body injury that could cause him to miss both games this weekend, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The injury was sustained on Tuesday against Arizona and while he came back for a couple of shifts, he was eventually shut down for the rest of the game.  His absence should create an opportunity for the recently-claimed Stefan Noesen to enter the lineup.  Pashelka adds that defenseman Mario Ferraro is also listed as day-to-day with an upper-body issue.

Canucks Notes: Trade Target, Markstrom, Sutter

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The Vancouver Canucks are exceeding expectations this season and, after a brief slide, are back to their winning ways with twelve points in their past ten games. The team is currently sitting in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but trail Calgary and Edmonton in the division by just four points with two games in hand, a difference of just .025 in points percentage. Rather than take this surprise success for granted, GM Jim Benning plans to take advantage. Speaking with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre on Wednesday, Benning said that he is targeting a top-six scoring winger before the NHL Trade Deadline. He did qualify his comments by adding that the deal must “make sense”, but did not say exactly what that meant. With nine forwards carrying cap hits of  $3MM+ through 2020-21, a trade that makes sense for Vancouver is likely a rental deal. The team is also unlikely to get into the bidding for a star like Taylor Hall if it causes too much of a mortgage on their future in a year where a Stanley Cup run would take a fair amount of luck even with their solid play thus far. Potential targets who would nicely on the wing in Vancouver this season could include Vladislav Namestnikov, Alex Galchenyuk, Tyler Toffoli, or perhaps even Chris Kreider. There is still a lot of time left before the deadline and Vancouver’s play between now and then will dictate just how willing Benning in his to make a big deal.

  • Benning also stated in the interview that he plans to formally open up extension talks with starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom soon. Benning did not add much detail, and the Canucks’ interest in retaining Markstrom has previously been reported, but Benning did let slip one new wrinkle in the story. Benning stated that part of the reason that Vancouver would like to re-sign Markstrom was the impact that it would have on their protection scheme for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Each team can only protect one goalie and must expose an eligible goalie who is under contract or team control (RFA) in 2021. Thatcher Demko would fit this description, but the team is likely hesitant to expose their potential future starter. As such, the team will likely eye a contract of at least two years with Markstrom to ensure they have a sacrificial lamb to offer up to Seattle. Whether or not the expansion team would have interest remains to be seen, but Markstrom will certainly draw interest before then if he hits the open market this summer. It seems Benning and company will try their hardest to prevent that.
  • Expected to miss just two weeks, a month later Brandon Sutter still has yet to return to the Vancouver lineup. The team has opted to scratch him in each of their past two games despite Sutter being medically cleared, as The Province’s Patrick Johnston writes that the team is being cautious and easing the veteran center back into action. This careful handling of Sutter’s health may not end any time soon either. Johnston believes that it could be a case of “load management” for Sutter this season. The defensive forward has struggled with groin injuries in the past and it is a notoriously lingering condition in hockey, so Sutter’s recent groin strain is nothing to take lightly. Expect Sutter, who was playing some of the best hockey of his Vancouver tenure before getting injured, to miss some games here and there and potentially see some fluctuations in his ice time as the Canucks manage his pain and try to keep him fresh for a hopeful playoff run..

 

Injury Updates: Sutter, Daley, Johnson, Myers

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Canucks center Brandon Sutter has been out of the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury back on November 12th but it appears that he’s ready to return.  The team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran could be in uniform tomorrow night against Toronto.

That means that Vancouver is going to have to do some cap juggling in order to activate Sutter off LTIR.  The team has less than $3MM in cap room to work with per CapFriendly and Sutter’s AAV checks in at $4.375MM.  Tyler Motte ($975K) is eligible to be transferred to LTIR as he has already missed a month but that still won’t be enough to activate him.  The Canucks are carrying seven defensemen at the moment and may be forced to drop that to six by sending Jalen Chatfield back to AHL Utica.  If Sutter is cleared to play, expect some roster movement from Vancouver in a hurry.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Detroit defenseman Trevor Daley could return to the lineup tomorrow after missing 16 straight games due to a lower-body issue, notes Arthur J. Regner of the Red Wings’ team website. He has received the green light to return from team doctors so now it’s a matter of seeing if he needs extra practices before seeing game action.  On the surface, it appears that the team is expecting him to play with the placement of Madison Bowey on waivers today will be the roster spot that’s used to activate Daley off IR.
  • Lightning center Tyler Johnson is day-to-day with a lower-body issue, the team announced (via Twitter). Head coach Jon Cooper indicated that there’s no timetable for his return and that he will not play on Tuesday.  The 29-year-old is off to a relatively quiet start offensively with 14 points in 27 games, the lowest full-season point-per-game rate of his career.
  • Travis Konecny isn’t the only injury the Flyers are dealing with today. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News reports that defenseman Phillipe Myers left practice early today due to back spasms that have been an issue in recent days.  That leaves his availability for Wednesday against Colorado in question.  Myers has very quietly been a surprising factor offensively on Philadelphia’s back end as he has chipped in with nine points in just 17 games this season.

Vancouver Canucks Activate Ferland, Beagle, And Markstrom

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The Vancouver Canucks will be a lot closer to full strength when they take the ice this afternoon. The team has announced that forwards Micheal Ferland and Jay Beagle have been activated from the injured reserve, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been activated from the non-roster list following a leave of absence. The returns come just days after Antoine Roussel made his season debut after overcoming injury as well.

Ferland’s return to the lineup will be the greatest change in status quo for the Canucks. A free agent addition coming off a career year, Ferland suffered a concussion just 12 games into the season and has been on the IR since November 1st. The physical winger has just five points on the year, but recorded 40 points in 71 games last year, including a career high in assists. If he remains healthy, Ferland would be on pace for 65 games this regular season and the Canucks hope that might be enough to gt him back into that 40-point range. At the very least, Ferland will provide a physical presence and an injection of energy for the Vancouver forward corps

Beagle returns to the lineup at the earliest possible time, just ten days after he was placed on IR on November 27th. Yet, the veteran has been beat up for much of the early season, missing a total of nine games thus far due to a lower-body injury. Beagle’s scoring numbers may be down to begin the year, but he will be a welcome addition nonetheless. The experienced two-way forward is a leader and difference-maker on the ice for the Canucks, particularly at the face-off dot. Despite missing considerable time, Beagle remains second on the team in face-off wins thanks to a whopping 60% success rate. He is also a key piece to the team’s penalty kill, which has struggled in his absence and slipped into the bottom half of the league.

Markstrom returns to the team after being given the week off to attend his father’s memorial service in his native Sweden. Thatcher Demko will get the start again today, with Markstrom likely to return to the crease on Tuesday. Markstrom has played well this season with a .913 save percentage and 2.70 GAA and he and Demko have combined to provide consistent goaltending for Vancouver. The question this season will continue to be whether the Canucks feel they need to re-sign Markstrom, arguably the second-best keeper on the  free agent market, or instead see Demko as ready to take over the starter’s role.

Even with this trio back in action, the Canucks are not fully healthy. The team was forced to place Alexander Edler and Tyler Graovac on injured reserve earlier this week, while Brandon Sutter and Tyler Motte remain there as well. There has been little news on a return from any of the group, although the initial timeline for Motte’s injury should have him back sooner rather than later. Additionally, with three additions to the active roster, the Canucks have sent down forward Zack MacEwen, who re-joins the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Pacific Notes: Vancouver Penalty Kill, Brodie, Nygard, Vilardi

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The Vancouver Canucks may not be leading any categories in their penalty kill, but with a 13th-ranked special teams unit that kills off penalties at 82.9 percent, the team found itself challenged against Washington Saturday as the team was without four of its top penalty killers. The team played without Jay Beagle (hip), Brandon Sutter (groin), Tyler Motte (foot) and Alexander Edler (upper body), yet still fared quite well shutting down Washington’s power play on three separate occasions to win the game in a 2-1 shootout.

The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that the team may be without that group for several more days and the success of the team’s battered penalty kill will likely have a big impact on the remainder of their three-game road trip throughout next week.

  • The Calgary Flames could be getting back defenseman T.J. Brodie sooner than later. The blueliner, who collapsed during practice on Nov. 14, skated on his own Saturday and, according to a Sportsnet report, is expected to join practice with the Flames on Sunday. The team has done a barrage of tests, but have found no evidence that Brodie’s collapse was nothing more than him fainting. Brodie has joined the team on their road trip and may return to action as soon as Monday against Pittsburgh. The 29-year-old has eight assists in 21 games.
  • Edmonton Oilers forward Joakim Nygard was brought in from the SHL to add a speedy winger who can immediately become a top-nine presence, who could help their quick-moving centers with some secondary scoring. However, despite his impressive speed in 10 games, Nygard just has one goal to show for it as he has struggled to finish around the net. Edmonton Sun’s Jim Matheson suggests that Nygard may be more of a third-line winger as opposed to a second-liner. “There’s still another level there,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “The good thing about him? He’s really determined, he’s not here to mess around. He wants to be a good player and that’s positive to see.”
  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) writes that Los Angeles Kings prospect Gabe Vilardi fared well in Friday’s AHL debut. The 11th-overall pick in 2017 has barely played in the past year and a half with a back injury, having seen four games with the AHL Ontario Reign last season. While Vilardi didn’t register a point, he did have a breakaway opportunity and looked happy throughout the contest. “Now, to see him last night, he had a smile on his face,” Kings director of player personnel Glen Murray said. “We lost the game (4-1). But for him, it was successful. It was a passing grade, for sure. He’s come a long way. It’s been a long year. He did well. To be off a year – his game legs aren’t going to be there – but he made some nice plays, won a lot of faceoffs and he had this breakaway in the third period last night.”

Canucks Place Brandon Sutter On Injured Reserve

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As the story of Brandon Sutter’s recent injury has unraveled, the extent of the injury has in fact become less clear. After Sutter was forced out of Tuesday night’s game between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators, The Province’s Patrick Johnston writes that the veteran center was in good spirits and said his unknown ailment was “only minor”. GM Jim Benning backed that claim, stating that Sutter would go in for an MRI on Wednesday morning, but that he was hopeful that he wouldn’t miss much time. Yet, as Wednesday wore on, the Canucks made not one but a pair of additions up front, recalling Zack MacEwen and, more notably, a center in Tyler Graovac. As if the hint wasn’t enough that Sutter’s status wasn’t positive, TSN’s Jeff Paterson now points out that Sutter has officially been placed on the injured reserve.

While the move is retroactive to Tuesday, it still leaves Vancouver without Sutter for at least the next four games. He must spend a minimum of ten days out of the lineup while on IR, meaning he will miss match-ups with the Colorado Avalanche, two with the Dallas Stars, and a rematch with the Predators. He will also still be on the shelf when the Canucks depart on a six-game road trip, raising some question over whether he would meet the team on the road if healthy or if he could potentially miss another four games while waiting to make his return at home. Sutter has quietly played an important role for the resurgent Canucks this season, as he is currently fifth on the team in goals and leads all forwards in plus/minus. Somewhat surprisingly, with eight points through 19 games, Sutter was on pace for 35 points through a full 82-game season this year, which would have been the second-best scoring campaign of his career and his best in Vancouver. This injury will likely limit that upside, but Sutter has already surpassed his six total points from last year and could challenge his 26 points from the year before.

Even more so than just Sutter alone, the Canucks real challenge is dealing with both he and Jay Beagle being sidelined at the moment. Beagle missed Tuesday night’s game due to stiffness and there has been no word on his condition either. The duo are both key two way centers and the team’s top penalty killers, not to mention responsible for a majority of face-offs. Without a timeline for either veteran to return to the lineup, Vancouver will have to prepare as if they need a long-term solution for their lack of defense and experience down the middle. The rugged, physical Graovac hopes to help out while on recall, while Adam Gaudette lined up at center on Tuesday and will likely remain there. Johnston also writes that Antoine Roussel, another established two-way contributor, has begun skating with his teammates and could make his return to the lineup after a conditioning stint in the AHL. The Canucks hope it won’t take that long for Sutter or Beagle to return to the lineup, but for now that remains a mystery and the team must get ready for a busy stretch without two key veteran leaders.

Pacific Notes: Seattle, Canucks, Puljujarvi, Palmu

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The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft is still two full seasons away, but the Seattle expansion team is not messing around in the meantime. If early indications hold true, Seattle will make their presence felt in the NHL long before they actually become an official club. On Thursday night, the second night of the new campaign, Seattle is already out scouting the competition – or more likely the 2021 free agent class and possible Expansion Draft offerings. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that, presumably for the first time, a Seattle scout is at a game in an official capacity. Former NHLer Stu Barnes is set to watch the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars square off, two talent-laden teams who will likely have tough decisions to make come expansion time. However, this is likely just the beginning. Expect Barnes and company to be a fixture at games for the next two years.

  • With the Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal and Maple Leafs’ John Tavares recently joining the elite group that is NHL captains, the number of teams without a captain has shrunk even further. The Vegas Golden Knights have yet to name the first captain in franchise history, while the New York Rangers have also been without a captain since 2017-18. Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Vancouver Canucks have holdover vacancies from last season. However, this group is about lose yet another member. Canucks head coach Travis Green has stated that the team will formally announce their new captain ahead of their home opener on October 9. Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini confirmed as much today, stating that he, Green, and GM Jim Benning saw leadership begin to develop last season and feel they are ready to name a captain. Vancouver has already named four alternates – Alexander Edler, Bo Horvat, Brandon Sutter, and Chris Tanev – and the odds are that the new “C” will be one of the current “A”’s. If the team wants to reward loyalty and establish a veteran leader, Edler is the likely choice. If they want to anoint a young core player as the man to take the team into the future, Horvat will be the selection. Those two have a better chance than Sutter or Tanev, both of whom have seen their roles on the team questioned over the last year or so, but anything is possible.
  • Speaking with Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes in his latest “31 Thoughts” column that it is his impression that the team is simply waiting and hoping for a better return on disgruntled prospect Jesse Puljujarvi. Puljujarvi followed through on his threat and signed in Europe this off-season when the Oilers wouldn’t trade him. Since then, Edmonton has shifted their focus solely to moving out the young winger, but only at a fair price. Friedman writes that Holland can only hope that Puljujarvi’s trade stock gets a boost from his performance in Finland. Thus far, Puljujarvi has seven points in eight games for the Liiga’s Karpat, which puts him in the top-20 scorers early on, but not exactly at the top. Friedman does mention some actual names – for the first time – that came up in trade talks this summer but were seemingly dismissed by Edmonton: a trio of forwards including the Carolina Hurricanes’ Julien Gauthier, the St. Louis Blues’ Klim Kostin, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Alexander Volkov.
  • Another NHL prospect staying in Europe for a while longer is the Canucks’ Petrus Palmu. After news emerged on Wednesday that he was likely to be officially loaned to JYP of the Liiga, the Finnish club confirmed the transfer today. Palmu, a 2017 sixth-round pick who signed his entry-level contract in 2018 and played briefly in the AHL to begin last season, will continue to develop overseas for another year at least. Now officially signed with JYP, Palmu is set to make his season debut this weekend.

Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Burdasov, Russell, Sutter

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The Vegas Golden Knights have had a quiet offseason so far this year after a busy couple of years. Many were shocked to see the expansion team already being capped out, loaded down with plenty of talented veterans on what was supposed to be a young roster. Instead, Vegas has built a team that can contend immediately and many have projected Vegas to capture the Western Conference. Despite having little maneuvering room in which they had to cast off a number of players, including Erik Haula, Colin Miller and Nikita Gusev, next season could be a whole different story.

Las Vegas Sun’s Justin Emerson writes that Vegas should have quite a bit of cap room next season once again once several contracts are off the books, including Cody Eakin, Ryan Reaves and Nick Holden amongst others. With a number of prospects ready to move into the Golden Knights’ lineup in a year, the team might have quite a bit of cap available, upwards of $6-9MM of available cap room (depending on moves made from now until July 1, 2020). That could free up enough room to acquire a significant free agent next season to target a number of free agents, especially on defense, including players like Tyson Barrie, Jared Spurgeon, Justin Schultz or Justin Faulk.

  • In his Sunday column, Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that he doubts that the Edmonton Oilers will go after Russian forward Anton Burdasov who has expressed recent interest in coming to the NHL this season with Edmonton supposedly being one of the three primary suitors for the 28-year-old. Burdasov is coming off a career-high 19 goals and tied his career-high in points in the KHL last season. However, Leavins adds that Burdasov is neither a playmaker or a good skater, which likely wouldn’t interest the Oilers too much as Edmonton is looking for players to increase their speed and are able to play next to their top two centers in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
  •  Sticking with the Oilers, Edmonton Journal’s David Staples writes that the Edmonton Oilers intend to shift defenseman Kris Russell back to his natural left side next season. Russell has been playing on the right side with the team as a top-four option, but assistant coach Jim Playfair said he wants Russell to move back to the left, while the team wants Darnell Nurse and Adam Larsson to pair together this year. Russell likely will be asked to take a third-pairing role, which should allow a one of the team’s younger players to step into the open top-four role on the right side. Several players are likely expected to battle for the open spot, including Matt Benning, Joel Persson, Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard.
  • In his quest to get back to full health, Vancouver Canucks veteran forward Brandon Sutter is trying to use Pilates for the first time in his 11-year career to get back into shape. “I started doing Pilates this summer which was awesome,” the 30-year-old Sutter said Wednesday following an off-season skills and conditioning skate. “A whole different thing than I’ve done before and now that I’ve started it, I wish I would have done it 10 years ago because it has helped a lot,” said the 30-year-old Sutter. “It’s all functional movement and based on the inner thigh and core. It’s just very specific for exactly what I need and now that I’ve done it, in the future I’ll do it more and spend less time lifting weights.” Sutter was expected to play a significant role for the team last season, but injuries derailed his season and he appeared in just 26 games, scoring just four goals. The hope is that using Pilates might keep him healthy for a full season and he can play a big role as a bottom-line leader this year.

Evening Notes: Sharks Lineup, Gaudette, Johansson

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The San Jose Sharks had to cast off a number of forwards this offseason after they inked star defenseman Erik Karlsson to an eight-year, $92MM contract three weeks ago. The team let Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi off and there continue to be rumors that they may have to trade off Melker Karlsson later on this summer to free up more cap room.

Of course, San Jose is expected to re-sign Joe Thornton and are likely to also bring back Patrick Marleau. Yet, despite those signings, there are likely going to be some holes in their lineup. In fact, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that there could be a major change in the top-six. The scribe writes that San Jose might look to its prospect depth to fill one of the wing positions on the second line this season as Sasha Chmelevski and Ivan Chekovich could be the beneficiaries of that job.

Chmelevski, a sixth-round gem found in the 2017 draft, has scored 70 goals and 151 points in the past two seasons with the Ottawa 67s of the OHL. Chekovich, a seventh-round stud picked up in the 2017 draft as well, scored 43 goals and 105 points last season in the QMJHL, but also gotten some time in the AHL with three goals and seven points in nine AHL games. Kurz writes that the only way they would make the team is if one of them played on the second line. A spot on the bottom-six would make less sense, however, as they could get valuable minutes with the San Jose Barracuda instead.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have been quite active this offseason and have added quite a bit of depth to their team. However, Patrick Johnson of the Vancouver Sun writes that the team will have a significant roster jam at the forward position this fall. The team currently has 13 healthy forwards under NHL deals and still have to sign Nikolay Goldobin and Brock Boeser to deals. Throw in the injured Antoine Roussel, the team has a lot of forwards with only 12 spots. That could put the spot of Adam Gaudette, who many people feel deserves a spot as the team’s third-line center, in jeopardy as the 22-year-old is the only player on the team (minus Elias Pettersson and Boeser) who can be sent down without having to pass through waivers. Unless Gaudette can have a dominant camp and beat out some of the others like Brandon Sutter, he could find himself starting the year off in Utica of the AHL.
  • The two-year deal that winger Marcus Johansson signed Saturday with the Buffalo Sabres includes a modified no-trade clause, according to CapFriendly. Johansson has the ability to provide Buffalo with a list of 10 teams he cannot be traded to during both his seasons. That’s an improvement on his previous deal where for the past two years he could submit five teams he couldn’t be traded to.

Brandon Sutter To Undergo Hernia Surgery

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The Vancouver Canucks have lost Brandon Sutter for the rest of the season, after announcing the forward will undergo sports hernia surgery on his right side. He is expected to be out for six to eight weeks, which would rule him out from playing again in 2018-19 unless the Canucks make it deep in the playoffs. Sutter already underwent hernia surgery on his left side in 2015 and has missed nearly a month for the Canucks already, last suiting up on February 9th.

Sutter has been a disappointment since being selected 11th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007. The 30-year old forward now has just 260 points in his 683-game NHL career, and never even truly became the lock-down defensive center that some believed he could be. For the Canucks he has recorded just 37 goals in 188 games but still has two years remaining on his contract at an average annual value of $4.375MM. He’ll finish this season with just six points in 26 games.

While the team hasn’t expressed any indication as to their plans this summer, Sutter is an interesting player to watch as the Canucks prepare to compete next season. His full no-trade clause changes into just a 15-team list, while there is also some buyout potential with just two years left on his deal. Vancouver has three center spots locked up with Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson and Jay Beagle, and may want to move on to a younger option for the fourth.

There is also the issue of his effectiveness next season even months removed from surgery, as hernia operations often have lingering effects on NHL players. If a buyout is considered at all, Sutter would have to be fully healthy.

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