Bob McKenzie recently suggested on TSN's Insider Trading that Brandon Sutter could be available in trade talks.
In today's hotstove we examine whether or not the Penguins would be smart to move him.
Todd Cordell If I'm Jim Rutherford I'm looking to move Brandon Sutter.
He scored 21 goals last season, which should bump his value, but he's an overrated player and has served as a possession anchor to everyone he has played with.
As you can see every player charted falls into that "Worse O / Worse D" category. That means they generate less shot attempts and allow more when they're on the ice with Sutter. That's the worst place to be and it helps illustrate that Sutter's perceived value is much higher than his actual value.
The Penguins can't really afford to spend over $3 million on their 3rd line center and, whether you like him or not, he's in line for a raise after the season.
By trading him the Penguins could potentially land a top-6 winger they covet or they could use Sutter simply to add some draft picks. This is an excellent draft and the Pens have just one pick - a 2nd - in the top-4 rounds. Trading Sutter could probably net a couple reasonably high picks and clear cap space in the process.
Whether it's picks or players I think it makes a lot of sense to move Sutter while his perceived value is high.
Ryan Wilson If only there was information and data to make a decision like this…
Tim Chiasson Yes, trade him.
Sutter isn't a good third line player, and I don't really care that he lucked himself into 21 goals this year.
The only thing he's got going for him over the rest of the Penguins is that he plays a full season. Other than that, he's $3.3M that could be better spent elsewhere.
He's consistently (read: always in Pittsburgh) under-performed in any role he's been given and the Penguins need to either: a) find some more adequate top six help or; b) start replenishing the system.
Crosby and Malkin will continue to be the best players in the world for a long time, but they can't do it alone. The NHL just isn't built that way. Call Toews and Kane heroes all you want, but they've got a complete team behind them that hold them up on that mantle.
There are better 3C options out there than Brandon Sutter, so if the Penguins can deal him it needs to be done.
If Pittsburgh will trade Simon Despres for a McDouble and a kids cone they should be able to entertain the idea of getting rid of Brandon Sutter to make their team better.
Michael Stuart I'll keep this short and sweet.
Yes, they should absolutely look at trading him. If some team is willing (and dumb enough) to give up a pick or some other asset for him, Pittsburgh shouldn't hesitate.
I'll defer to Ryan Wilson for the thoughtful, well-articulated analysis on Sutter, but I will say that he just isn't very good. There is likely a GM or two out there who will overvalue his 'intangibles' as a third-line center. Combine that with the fact that Pittsburgh should be looking to stockpile picks for this upcoming draft, and it becomes clear that a trade might make sense. If a team wants to hand them an asset for a bad player, there's no reason for Pittsburgh not to make a deal.
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