The Edmonton Oilers announced Sunday afternoon that veteran forward Brandon Sutter has been released from his professional tryout. Subsequently, Sutter announced he was retiring hockey.
He released this statement through the club, “I’m grateful for the opportunity that Ken, Jay, and the Oilers organization have provided to me the past few weeks. You need to be 100 percent healthy to compete in the NHL, and although my health continues to improve, in consideration of my health and family, I am officially retiring from hockey.
Thank you to the Oilers, Canucks, Penguins and Hurricanes, as well as all my past coaches, trainers and teammates for the incredible experiences throughout my 13 seasons in the NHL.“
Sutter’s time with the Oilers
Sutter had been in competition for the final roster spot that will likely go to the fourth line centre. Players remaining in contention for the spot include Raphael Lavoie, Lane Pederson, Adam Erne and James Hamblin. GM Ken Holland could also look to the waiver wire for depth, and could pick up a player like Winnipeg’s Jansen Harkins.
Sutter played three preseason games with the Oilers, accumulating one assist and five shots over 32 minutes of ice time. The veteran forward never appeared to get his legs under him, which was likely caused by the lingering affects of long COVID that kept him away from professional hockey over the last two seasons. This showed, as he had a 45.9% on ice expected goal share.
With his retirement, Sutter finishes his career with 770 NHL games over 13 different seasons, with stops in Vancouver, Pittsburgh and Carolina before his brief stint in Edmonton. He scored 152 goals and 137 assists for 289 points over that time span, in addition to 18 points in 50 playoff games. It’s an unfortunate result, as many around hockey were hoping to see Sutter get back into games.
