The Checkers are on the verge of getting their captain back from Carolina.
The Hurricanes announced Sunday that they had placed Brett Sutter on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to Charlotte. Sutter, who will either clear or be claimed by another NHL team at noon on Monday, wore the C on his jersey for each of the last two seasons with the Checkers. During his first month in the NHL, Chris Terry and Nicolas Blanchard served as alternates.
The native of Viking, Alberta, has cleared waivers several times in the past, though he has yet to do so this season after making the Hurricanes' opening roster. He most recently cleared following the team's training camp in January of last season.
Sutter, 26, played in 12 of the Hurricanes’ 14 games, recording no points and nine penalty minutes while averaging just under seven minutes of ice time per game on the team’s fourth line. It marked the second time that he had started a season in the NHL in his seven professional campaigns, as he played four games for the Calgary Flames before joining the Hurricanes organization via trade in 2010.
Sutter’s return would come at a welcome time for the Checkers, who have seen their depth at center take a hit due to an injury to his cousin, Brody Sutter, and the loss of Manny Malhotra to Carolina in recent days. Even at full strength, the team could always use more offense at the position, something Sutter was able to provide with a breakout of 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists) to rank second on the team in scoring last season.
Having just returned from a six-game road trip, the Checkers begin a four-game home stand against the Chicago Wolves on Thursday.
