On Monday, the 21st, the Vancouver Canucks announced that forwards Radim Vrbata and Brandon Sutter, along with defenseman Alexander Edler have all been shut down for the rest of the 2015-2016 season due to injuries.
Radim Vrbata currently has a knee injury, one that kept him out of the lineup on Saturday, the 19th when Vancouver faced off against the St. Louis Blues. He obviously will be out for some large amount of time, and shutting him down was seen as the best possible move. Vrbata has 13 goals, and 14 assists in 63 games played this season.
Brandon Sutter only played in 20 games this season, posting 5 goals and 4 assists in his first season in Vancouver. In the beginning of the year he missed 33 games due to sports hernia surgery, but has been out since February 9th, when he sustained a fractured jaw after taking a puck to the face. Ouch…
And as for defenseman Alexander Edler, he was also injured in the same game as Sutter on February 9th, after taking a shot to the leg, in which he suffered a fractured fibula. Edler had 6 goals and 14 assists in 52 games played this season.
Since the Canucks are well out of a playoff spot (26th in the National Hockey League with a total of 66 points), the decision of shutting these players down is a good one. They will be able to recover, rest, and get ready for what most likely will be a busy, training-filled off-season. Vancouver takes on the Winnipeg Jets March 22nd at the MTS Centre.
Main Photo Caption: VANCOUVER, BC – JANUARY 27: Alex Edler #23 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Edmonton Oilers during their NHL game at Rogers Arena on January 27, 2014 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)
