Vancouver Canucks: Why Brandon Sutter Has To Stay

Though Brandon Sutter was inconsistent in 2016-17, the Vancouver Canucks should give him another chance and hold on to him during the rebuilding phase.

Not a whole lot went right for the Vancouver Canucks in 2016-17. Daniel and Henrik Sedin finally caught up to Father Time, the defence struggled big time and the goaltending was mediocre at best. Former head coach Willie Desjardins was let go last week and this team will have a long list of tough decisions to make in the coming months.

But when discussing the positives, the first thing you’ll hear is the progress of Bo Horvat — but many are overlooking a solid season from forward Brandon Sutter. Sure, he didn’t exactly live up to the first season of a five-year contract that carries a $4.375 million cap hit. But Sutter should be a long-term piece of the Canucks rebuild.

My colleague at The Canuck Way, Tyler Shipley, wrote a piece detailing why the Canucks should expose Sutter in the expansion draft last week:

"“In either case, Brandon Sutter does not fit, and should be exposed in the hope of offloading him and his $4.2-million cap hit to the Vegas Golden Knights…Despite his hefty price tag, Sutter has not scored 0.5 points-per-game since 2009-10… With a plus-minus of minus-20 this year, I think there’s room for improvement…I hear Vegas is a lot of fun. Let’s hope George McPhee is looking for shaky foundations.”"

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Though Sutter undoubtedly didn’t have his strongest season in 2016-17, the Canucks should think twice about exposing him in the expansion draft. Not only that, but they shouldn’t even be looking to trade Sutter. He should be a long-term piece as this team transitions into a rebuild.

Finding a solid second or third line centre that can score around 20 goals a year and play solid defensively isn’t easy. You could make the case that Sutter’s a bargain at just over $4.3 million a season.

His corsi-for percentage of 48.7 may not sound attractive initially, but it’s the best Sutter’s posted in a season in which he played a full season. Given the disappointment 2016-17 was for the entire Canucks team, those are numbers you can’t ignore. They’re pretty good.

Also, the 34 points Sutter posted in 2016-17 were the second best totals of his career. You have to go back to 2009-10 to see when he registered better numbers. Maybe he really is fitting well with the Canucks.

Sutter is also capable of playing all over the ice. He can be a top-line winger (he played with the Sedins early in 2015-16), can be a second-line center or could even lead the checking line. He’s also a good piece for the second power play unit and is vital to turning their awful penalty kill around.

He’s also only 28 years of age and easily has a handful of 15-20 goal seasons left in him. No reason for the Canucks to part with him right now.

If Vancouver is back in the playoffs in two years (let’s be optimistic here), Sutter’s 6-foot-3, 191-pound frame can also be key in shutting down high-powered offenses like the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks.

As you read through this, understand I’m not trying to make Sutter out to be the next Henrik Sedin. I’m just saying you need two-way role players if you want to be a successful franchise again, and Sutter’s only been overlooked and over criticized because of his contract.

Next: Patience Is Key, But Firing Desjardins Was Right

If general manager Jim Benning is looking to move out veterans in the offseason, then it should be either the Sedins or Alexander Edler. Trading away or letting Brandon Sutter go in the expansion draft would be another head-scratching move by the Vancouver Canucks front office.

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