VANCOUVER – One hundred per cent has become an impossibility for Brandon Sutter.
There are no absolutes when it comes to the health of the player who has missed 153 of 360 National Hockey League games since he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks 4½ years ago, especially since most of Sutter’s injuries have originated in his abdominal "core."
Physical testing and medical examination may show that the checking centre is fully healed, but with so many U-turns from the lineup since he left the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is impossible to be 100 per cent confident in his health until Sutter survives a full season.
As he and the Canucks travelled Friday to San Jose for difficult back-to-back games this weekend against the Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, Sutter was still chasing his health.
Out a month with another "lower-body" injury, Sutter felt great after a practice on Monday and thought he’d play Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But he didn’t skate as well Tuesday morning and sat out the Canucks’ 4-1 loss to the Leafs.
He practised again Wednesday and planned to play Thursday. Then, facing the prospect of three games in four nights, Sutter and the medical staff agreed to further delay his return.
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The Canucks beat the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 without him.
Sutter hopes to play Saturday in San Jose. He hopes to play.
"It sucks sitting out, especially after last year, missing a lot of hockey," Sutter said this week. "I’ve been through enough in that area of my body to know what’s what. It’s just something we wanted to make sure it felt 100 per cent before we did anything, and it’s feeling pretty good. It wasn’t anything… to worry about from last year. It was kind of a different thing."
After last season ended for Sutter with sports hernia surgery, his second in four years in Vancouver, the veteran suffered another injury while skating untouched on a forecheck early in a Nov. 12 game against the Nashville Predators.
Despite a summer of core-specific rehab and training, Sutter lasted only 19 games before getting injured again. Including time missed for a dislocated shoulder, he logged only 26 games all of last season.
No wonder he is being so careful now.
"When it happened, it was really frustrating because I felt I’d been taking care of things and everything felt good leading up to it," Sutter said. "But things happen, and I’m just happy to feel good again now.
"For me, I’ve had the hernias and the pelvis stuff and it’s always kind of been the same area of my body. I’ve learned a lot about it and how to manage it with day-to-day maintenance. I just have to focus off the ice to keep that area strong. When you do everything you can to put yourself in a good position, you feel confident."
And, yet, it will probably take a pile of games in a row, or months of good health, for Sutter to fully regain his confidence.
The only thing as unlucky as his health in Vancouver is his career timing.
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Sutter came to the Canucks just as the team was accelerating its steep descent during the early, confusing stages of its rebuild.
It didn’t help that general manager Jim Benning handed Sutter an anvil when he called him a "foundational player" after sending the Penguins Nick Bonino and an upgraded draft pick to acquire him in July, 2015.
Expectations spiked, and Sutter was doomed to fail them. Still, he is an important player for the Canucks.
He excels on the penalty kill — which has been erratic since he left the lineup — and in some defensive situations. When Sutter plays, two-way centre Bo Horvat stays fresher and gets more offensive starts, and second-year Canuck Adam Gaudette (33.3 per cent faceoff win rate) isn’t as exposed on defensive-zone draws. Sutter’s loss was exacerbated by a concurrent injury to fourth-line centre and faceoff master Jay Beagle, who returned from his undisclosed problem three games ago and is trying to find his form.
Sutter is a calming presence on the Canucks and also contributes to secondary scoring. He had five goals, eight points and 42 shots on net in 19 games before before his injury.
The Canucks initially hoped Sutter would be back within two weeks, and he rejoined the team for a Nov. 25 morning skate in Philadelphia. But when he didn’t feel right at practice the next day in Pittsburgh, his comeback was delayed. That was 18 days ago.
The Canucks are 6-6-1 without Sutter, but still just one point out of a playoff spot with two games in-hand on Vegas, which holds the final wildcard position in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference.
"That’s what’s so exciting about it — getting back to a competitive environment," Sutter said. "The previous years, it’s tough when you’re not in the playoffs. When you’re out on Feb. 1, that’s not a lot of fun. Just being in a playoff hunt is what it’s all about. I’m pretty excited to be part of it."
Soon, he hopes.
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