According to TSN, the Ottawa Senators have acquired defenseman Andy Sutton from the New York Islanders with a second-round draft pick going the opposite way. With 12 points in 54 games this year, it’s obvious Sutton isn’t very useful for his offensive credentials but rather he’s a threatening figure who plays a physical brand of hockey while shutting forwards down.
Ottawa Senators Grab Andy Sutton From Long Island
Dominik from Lighthouse Hockey offers his opinion on the deal:
This is not a thrilling trade by any means: Just cashing in your UFA for an extra pick this summer. Some fans already wish Sutton had been re-signed instead, but we don’t know what kind of offers and terms were exchanged between Snow and Sutton’s agent. Sutton will be 35 next month, so that’s an area where you’d wisely tread lightly -- particularly if his injury history concerns you. During Sutton’s lucrative three-year contract here, the most games he played in a single season was 58 -- a total he was four games from equaling this season.
Silver Seven’s DarrenM weighs the pros and cons of Sutton’s addition to Ottawa:
Pros:
- Ottawa badly needed some defensive help for the playoff run, and they got it without losing any roster players.
- As you can see from what has been provided, Andy Sutton is a hulking defensive defenseman (6'6"! 245lbs!). He leads his team by a huge margin in blocked shots (153) and hits (155). In case you're curious, that's more blocked shots and hits than Anton Volchenkov. He's second in blocked shots to only Dennis Seidenberg. Yeah, this guy is a warrior.
- He averages over 20 minutes of time on ice per game.
- If you compile his last four years, he has an even plus/minus, despite playing on the Atlanta Thrashers and New York Islanders during that span. Not bad.
- New York Islanders fans seem to think that they did not get nearly enough for Sutton, which makes me feel good inside.
- Cons:
- The Ottawa Senators have now burned two second round draft picks on UFAs (Matt Cullen being the other one). It's a fairly high price for Sutton, and it's bad news for a team that is already lacking in surefire prospects. It's even worse news for the AHL's Binghamton Senators who continue to struggle.
- Ottawa already has Matt Carkner, Chris Phillips, and Volchenkov as stay-at-home defensemen, and may have been better off with a more versatile player.
- Sutton is not very quick on his feet, which can be dangerous in the playoffs.
- The last time the Ottawa Senators grabbed a defenseman from the New York Islanders at the deadline, it was Chris Campoli.
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