Sutter out for Season

[Moonergroupie]

Gregg Drinnan is reporting that Lukas Sutter is gone for the season to have shoulder surgery. Had been hearing that since the first time he was hurt this season that it was something that would need surgery. Probably has a lot to do with the way he has played all year.....after looking so good in the first couple games of the season before he got hurt. Makes you wonder if maybe this decision should have been made months ago. Will be interesting to see if the spot is filled with a young guy or if Sutter can find a 20 year old to come in and help out the playoff drive. Can we still bring another 20 year old in this late in the season? If so my vote is for a stay at home defenseman that can solidify the back end and take some of the minutes off Fluery so he can play at his top level for more of the game.

[SectionNDeserter]

Gregg Drinnan is reporting the Lukas Sutter is gone for the season to have shoulder surgery. Had been hearing that since the first time that he was hurt this season that it was something that would need surgery. Probably has a lot to do with the way he has played all year.....

It is a win/win situation. Sutter gets the surgery he needs, and hopefully gets better, while the Rebel fans don't have to endure watching him pile up stupid, costly offensive zone penalties and shooting the puck directly at the goaltender's chest every time. Also there is the added bonus of giving Adam Musil some more ice time and experience for next season.

after looking so good in the first couple games of the season before he got hurt. Makes you wonder if maybe this decision should have been made months ago.

Brent was in a tough spot on this one. A 3rd and a 7th is a lot to give up for less than half a seasons worth of games. Wouldn't be able to trade him, so they would have had to just release him. How good would Graeme Craig have looked back there? With the age/experience of the team this season though, it just doesn't make sense for Sutter to sell any more future for a replacement for him.

Will be interesting to see if the spot is filled with a young guy or if Sutter can find a 20 year old come in and help out in the playoff drive. Can we still bring another 20 year old in this late in the season?

Nope. Only additions we can see now are affiliate players. Wouldn't be at all surprised to see some of the defenseman APs in the lineup late in the season when their midget seasons are over, as they should be looking to replace about three defensemen next season...

[Moonergroupie]

I assume you are referring to the spots currently filled by Dixon, Fafard, and Gaudet. Hopefully they can make a trade in the off season to bring in an Underwood type 20 year old defenseman. Solid defensively, makes the opposition pay in the corners and will stand up for his teammates. Wouldn't be a bad thing to have some leadership qualities as we seem to be lacking that as well.

[SectionNDeserter]

I assume you are referring to the spots currently filled by Dixon, Fafard, and Gaudet. Hopefully they can make a trade in the off season to bring in an Underwood type 20 year old defenseman. Solid defensively, makes the opposition pay in the corners and will stand up for his teammates. Wouldn't be a bad thing to have some leadership qualities as we seem to be lacking that as well.

Bingo. Gaudet and Fafard are NOT WHL caliber defensemen (though Gaudet might be a WHL caliber forward) and at the moment they comprise two of our overage spots next season. Dixon is surprisingly mobile for a big kid, but his positioning and discipline are horrendous. I suspect that their first round CHL Import draft pick will be used to bring in a solid import defenseman, and Shmoorkoff and Mahura will occupy the other two spots.

[calcheyup]

"Playoff drive"? You kiddin' me? I just hope we win a game!

Too bad for Lukas. He did look pretty good the first few games of the year, and after he got hurt he just never really did much of anything. To the point of why this didn't happen sooner, after his last season, Lukas had a ton to prove this year and he is desperately playing for a pro contract. Of course that factored in. That said, being hurt doesn't make you take stupid penalties all year long. Man he has really hurt this club this year.

As an aside, Brent's continued comments about lacking leadership and his older players and combined with taking away Gaudet's letter and his play this year, it makes it hard for me to believe he hasn't been a problem child, along with Dieno. I'm not in the locker room, but I'd be shocked to learn that neither of those guys are poisoning that so-called "leadership group" (a term I use extremely loosely).

As for Fafard, he played his way out of the Dub this year, and an overage spot would be wasted on Gaudet as well. While neither Dixon nor Bear have any business on a WHL blueline. So yeah...there's work to be done this offseason.

[SectionNDeserter]

As an aside, Brent's continued comments about lacking leadership and his older players and combined with taking away Gaudet's letter and his play this year, it makes it hard for me to believe he hasn't been a problem child, along with Dieno. I'm not in the locker room, but I'd be shocked to learn that neither of those guys are poisoning that so-called "leadership group" (a term I use extremely loosely).

Curious why you would toss Dieno's name in there? I thought he would become a better two-way player this season than he has, but he is passing a lot more, and continues to produce at around a point-per-game pace. I think that the loss of Sutter for the season actually makes the team better in some respects, but I can't even imagine how little offense this team would have if it had been Dieno instead of Sutter.

As for Fafard, he played his way out of the Dub this year, and an overage spot would be wasted on Gaudet as well. While neither Dixon nor Bear have any business on a WHL blueline. So yeah...there's work to be done this offseason.

Really at a loss to explain why Fafard regressed so much this season. Last season he was a monster on the boards, stayed with his man on rushes, dropped the gloves with anyone, put some decent low, rebound producing shots on goal, and his only real weakness was the occasional soft play in front of his own net. This season he is routinely getting outworked on the boards, turning the puck over all the time, and constantly losing his man around the net. It is almost staggering to comprehend that he was higher on the depth chart than Doetzel last season.

I honestly didn't even include Bear in my earlier comments about defensemen they would have to replace, as I think that most don't believe he will be back next season as a 19 year old defenseman that has played 40 or so games in the league.

[calcheyup]

Curious why you would toss Dieno's name in there? I thought he would become a better two-way player this season than he has, but he is passing a lot more, and continues to produce at around a point-per-game pace. I think that the loss of Sutter for the season actually makes the team better in some respects, but I can't even imagine how little offense this team would have if it had been Dieno instead of Sutter.

Pure speculation based on a couple thing:

1) Dieno began the season without a letter. No big deal there, some guys are leaders and some aren't, and it doesn't mean you're a cancer if you aren't. But considering the distinct lack of character among the older guys that Brent actually felt were at the top echelon of that veteran core, it's telling that Dieno was presumably viewed as less of a leader and role model for the youngins than those guys - which is saying a lot in itself. I think if you went around the league you'd find a pretty miniscule percentage of overagers who weren't wearing a letter. Especially with a 17-year-old captain, which I'll get to in a second.

2) Like you said, his two-way play hasn't come around at all, and especially with this team getting blasted every night in their own zone, I find it hard to believe he really cares too much about that part of his game. Sometimes feels like he's out to get his and if it contributes to a W, that's purely incidental.

3) Bleacks being named captain. Although this is more a complete and total indictment of the older guys on the club, not just Dieno, it's pretty bad that Sutter needs to put a 17-year-old captain in place in an attempt to force a wake-up call out of his guys - Dieno included.

4) I think he's been getting frustrated regarding the guys he's had to play with this year, and I think that's affected his play. He was downright spoiled getting Turner Elson as a liney last year, and he's been completely invisible for long stretches over the course of this year.

Like I said, I'm not in the locker room, so obviously, I don't know a damn thing about what's REALLY happening on that club. But I can't shake the nagging feeling that even if Dieno hasn't been THE problem in that locker room this year, he's definitely been contributing to it.

Lastly, on an unrelated note, it is just bizarre that Brandon Underwood's departure left a bigger hole on this blueline than that of a #7 overall pick. Says a lot about both of those guys, in different ways.

[Moonergroupie]

I honestly thought tonight might have been the best game I have seen Dixon play all year. He had poise with the puck, carried it out of the zone a few times, made a good first pass, and took on 3 giants in the scrum coming to the aid of Sterzner. No stupid penalties and only once (that I remember) threw the puck up the middle and gave it away. Gaudet was better than most games (although it doesn't take much with the way he has been playing). Charif was real solid and will look really good on this blueline next year. Will wait and see what the outcome is tomorrow night against Swifty before we get to excited about them turning things around.

[SectionNDeserter]

Pure speculation based on a couple thing:

1) Dieno began the season without a letter. No big deal there, some guys are leaders and some aren't, and it doesn't mean you're a cancer if you aren't. But considering the distinct lack of character among the older guys that Brent actually felt were at the top echelon of that veteran core, it's telling that Dieno was presumably viewed as less of a leader and role model for the youngins than those guys - which is saying a lot in itself. I think if you went around the league you'd find a pretty miniscule percentage of overagers who weren't wearing a letter.

I actually thought so too, however when I checked;

Hunter
Petryk
Grist
Kornelsen
Ness
Trvdon
Franko
Dirk
Swenson
Haar
Rosignol
Craig
Valcourt
Kosterman
Fiddler
Dieno
Zagraggen
Leier
Johnson
Sanvido
Burns
Franson
Nelson

All currently don't currently wear a letter. Bleackley is the captain, because in a handful of games prior to being named the captain, he won them almost by himself. Also, this team is quite obviously being built to win down the road and not this season, so it really does makes sense to select a captain that should be here at least two more seasons (Much like they did with Wallin).

4) I think he's been getting frustrated regarding the guys he's had to play with this year, and I think that's affected his play. He was downright spoiled getting Turner Elson as a liney last year, and he's been completely invisible for long stretches over the course of this year.

He had great chemistry with Elson for sure. Defenders from the other team are all over him now, where they were really focused on Elson last season, which gave him a bit more room to work. I think that scoring a point a game and the success of the team do meet somewhere however, even if it doesn't seem like that is always his goal.

Lastly, on an unrelated note, it is just bizarre that Brandon Underwood's departure left a bigger hole on this blueline than that of a #7 overall pick. Says a lot about both of those guys, in different ways.

Underwood played a lot harder than that #7 overall pick, despite having an exponentially lower skill set. I think the bigger hole on the blueline however, was made by the massive regression of Fafard and Gaudet. A rookie has taken Gaudet's spot on the top unit next to Fleury, and Fafard is a shell of the player that he was last season.