Brandon Sutter excited with opportunity to play with Pittsburgh Penguins -NHL offseason Update
Next season is one which Brandon Sutter is definitely looking forward to as the player gets ready to check in with his new team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, after a blockbuster trade with Carolina Hurricanes this past 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry
Draft weekend.
Sutter was traded by Carolina Hurricanes, along with a prospect and a pick in the draft for superstar centre player, Jordan Staal, who had refused to re-sign with Pittsburgh for another 10 years.
Playing against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin was one thing and now, playing with them is definitely an exciting moment in the 23-year-olds career.
"I can remember coming into Pittsburgh having to play against Crosby or Malkin, which wasn't always a ton of fun," Sutter said on a teleconference call Monday, June 25, 2012.
Sutter, who has four years of experience playing in the North American major league with Carolina Hurricanes, hopes to improve his defensive performance along with scoring goals with the Penguins and even filling in the gap left by Jordan Staal someday.
"I don't want to be looked at as just a defensive player. I want to score goals and do things, too," Sutter said. "Obviously, I don't know who I'll be playing with yet, but in terms of roster, their roster's obviously deeper than what we're used to in Carolina.
And a chance to play with more talented players, too, can help."
It is the first time in his career that Sutter is being shipped off to another team since being selected as the 11th overall pick back in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by Carolina. Excitement is a small word for the Huntington, New York, United States
native, which will eventually develop into more over time.
In the past four seasons, Sutter has managed to score 107 points (53 goals, 54 assists) in 286 games played, last season was an improvement, but not his best, with 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists) in all 82 games played.
With one year left on his three-year, $6.2 million contract, the Penguins will be paying him the remaining $2.7 million on his deal, which he hopes to boost when negotiating with Pittsburgh next year.
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