October 5 practice quotes: Darryl Sutter (+ Gaborik update)

On whether he’s surprised that Tanner Pearson received a four-game suspension:
I’m really not sure. Tanner and I talked about it. … It’s accidental, and it’s not premeditated, and it’s not leaving his feet. Whatever they decide, and you don’t know what it is, and how they come up with that, I don’t really know.

On the disrupted continuity of this year’s camp with injuries, suspensions and the World Cup:
I mean, we didn’t expect any of our World Cup guys to be back for any of camp because first off Kopi was going to be a big part of the European team, and obviously Drew and Quickie were going to be big parts of their teams, and we were happy when Muzz went. Obviously the toughest part for me is not those guys missing camp – they only play one or two games, anyways, or two or three. So the toughest part is losing Gabby. That would be what I’d say would be the [toughest part]. Not having Muzz and Drew here, hey, it’s given a lot of guys – a boy like LaDue – an opportunity to play in a lot of situations where Drew would’ve played or Marty would’ve played, so you get a good look at him. All the left defensemen, every one of ‘em, has probably got to play at least one more game. If you look – take the double-headers out, because that’s like one game, so you’ve got a lot of guys here who’ve played four games, which is all they could play. The opportunity to play has certainly been more important for them than the guys not here, not playing.

On Marian Gaborik:
He’ll get reevaluated at the three-week, whatever that is. So, from injury, whatever that was. That was after the … Swede game. After the Swedish game, so whatever that date was. Just go on that, and they’ll see at three weeks. The toughest part of his injury, you know a lot of times those boot injuries you can start walking. He can’t. It’s got to be non-weight bearing, just the way it’s broke, otherwise he’s going to move those bones around. So that’s the tough part. It’s frustrating for him, because he’s a guy who likes to work out and train. … [Reporter: Still on the crutches?] Oh yeah, he can’t do nothin’ yet.

On whether he uses holes in the lineup to motivate players, or whether they understand themselves:
Yeah, I think both. I think that this camp, as Jon was referring to, it’s been different in that sense that pretty much the last four or five years, there really wasn’t evaluation. It was more ‘this is our team’ because of contracts and so forth and numbers and all that, but I think we’ve tried to make sure, every day what we’re really clear with is we’re still really evaluating guys. We don’t know. We’re taking a lot of guys still to Vegas, and obviously injuries and suspension does affect it, but at the same time, our team is stacked with guys who can play the role game and the third-fourth, or that third pair, or that sort of thing. We’re stacked with that. We’re still trying to figure out who’s playing with Kopi, who’s playing with Jeff, that sort of thing. I mean, that’s why I’d like Kopi, if he wants to play a game, if Drew wants, he could play a game just to sort of see where it’s slotted better, just to see how it looks. Not necessarily them, but wherever everybody else falls. And, obviously, with the left winger part of it with Gabby out and then Tanner not starting, you know where Gabby was slotted and you know where Tanner was slotted. So if we have to move guys out of position for a little bit, then that’s what we have to do.