Brandon Sutter to get PTO after missing last two seasons with long COVID

After missing the entirety of the last two NHL seasons, Sean O’Leary of The Score reports that the Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a professional tryout agreement with forward Brandon Sutter. An oft-injured player during his time with the Vancouver Canucks, Sutter has missed the last two seasons dealing with long COVID.

With little cap space left to maneuver with, and the impending contract of restricted free agent Evan Bouchard, most pundits knew the Oilers were heading in this direction leading up to training camp. It is an interesting choice, as regardless of missing the last two seasons, Sutter had not played a full NHL season since 2016-17 with the Canucks, but will likely not be the last PTO the Oilers hand out this offseason.

When healthy, Sutter had historically been one of the better defensive centers in the game of hockey. Notably blocking a healthy amount of shots throughout his career, Sutter was also a mainstay on the Canucks penalty kill throughout much of his time with the organization.

If he does make Edmonton’s roster out of camp, it would be hard to imagine him as anything other than an extra forward on the team. The organization already has plenty of options down the middle in the bottom six, but Sutter’s experience and defensive tactics may sparingly earn him some minutes in a fourth-line role.

Long are the days when Sutter seemed like a regular 30-point bottom-six center option for most teams, but if the 34-year-old is still ready to play, there is a low risk for the Oilers in this move.