Just roughly 24 hours after former Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Brandon Sutter was traded from Pittsburgh to Vancouver, Sutter has come out and said a few things about the Penguins and their lofty expectations.
More From Cardiac Cane – Evaluating the Sutter Trade
Also, details have been released regarding the 2016 NHL Winter Classic, and some players are still set for arbitration this week.
Let’s take a look at today’s news.
Brandon Sutter Felt the “Staal Effect”
Brandon Sutter had big shoes to fill in Pittsburgh after being a part of the Jordan Staal trade with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012, and he said that he certainly felt that during his time in the black and gold.
In a piece from the TribLive, Sutter reflected on his time with the Penguins.
"“There’s an expectation in Pittsburgh of a third-line center that doesn’t exist anywhere else, simply because of how good Jordan was as a Penguin,” Sutter wrote in an email to Trib Total Media. “I felt like I did the best I could and improved my game tenfold. I’m a better player now than I was three years ago. I hope some people think I did a good job in the role I was asked to play, and I was more than happy to do it for that team.”"
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Jordan Staal was coming off of a 50-point campaign in an injury-shortened season with the Pens before his trade to Carolina, so whoever was going to step in his role was going to have massive expectations. That player happened to be Sutter.
Brandon Sutter was not a bad player by any stretch of the imagination. He was a fantastic penalty killer and gave teams’ top players fits shift after shift, but he did not play a good possession game, he did not put up lofty point totals, and he wasn’t as big of an impact that Jordan Staal was.
Sutter did go on to say that the organization was “first class”, saying that the fans were incredibly passionate and he can’t think of any bad things to say about his overall experience.
Jim Rutherford was the GM in Carolina when Sutter was dealt the first time, and now he has traded him again. Despite this, Sutter said the two actually shared a laugh on the matter.
"“It’s unfortunate to have to go through it twice,” Sutter said. “He (Rutherford) repeated how much he respects me as a player and as a person. That’s all I could really ask for. I can say we have a mutual respect for each other.”"
This is all in the past now, and Brandon Sutter will move on to a new challenge with the Vancouver Canucks. Reports indicate the team is looking to sign him to an extension in the coming days. He is slated to be a UFA next summer.
2016 Winter Classic Information
The 2016 Winter Classic is slated for a 1:00 pm (ET) start time on January 1, and the matchup appears to be one of the most highly anticipated ones yet.
The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens will square off at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.
The likes of Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL, Cam Neely, president of the Boston Bruins, Marc Bergevin, GM of the Montreal Canadiens, Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, and many more gathered in Foxborough on Wednesday to discuss and announce details for this year’s Winter Classic.
There is a lot of anticipation entering this season’s Winter Classic, and Kraft discussed this yesterday.
"“No two teams have played each other more often in NHL history; they have had more regular-season, playoffs and Game 7 matchups than any other two teams,” Kraft said. “Many of these games have been truly epic and memorable battles, highlighting what makes this sport so great.”"
Along with the game on New Year’s Day, there will be an Alumni Game featuring historic figures from both the Bruins and Habs on New Year’s Eve at Gillette Stadium.
You can read more about the upcoming Winter Classic HERE.
Arbitration Hearings
Arbitration hearings are scheduled to go on throughout the remainder of the week, including Jonathan Bernier who is set to have his hearing on Friday.
Bernier has reportedly filed for $5.1 million for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have offered $2.89 million, which is the lowest they could’ve gone due to the CBA.
In all likelihood, according to Toronto Star, the Leafs will use Steve Mason and his $4.1 million salary as a comparable. On the other side of that, Bernier will likely use Braden Holtby and his new deal as a comparable ($6.1 million).
It’s doubtful that Bernier will get the same money as Holtby, and it is also unlikely that he will get the same money as Mason. He’ll likely end up in the $4.5-5 million range next season, and since the Leafs elected to go to arbitration, they do not have the option of walking away from the deal, which means they will have to pay the goalie however much the arbitrator rules.