I am surprised so many people are in an uproar about this. Sutter was trying to be funny and maybe it didn't land, but I don't think he was being disrespectful. The fact he gave him a little PP time I think shows that he thinks there is potential there. The comment about him only being 21 and has lots of room to improve could easily be seen as him getting in front of any criticism someone may have had.
I think an honest observation of Pelletier tonight is that he was a non-factor, which is perfectly fine for 21 rookie playing his first game and only 6.5 minutes. All he had to do is not stand out in a bad way, and he did that. He really doesn't deserve a lot of praise for his play today, but we can probably expect that as he settles in more, he will become more of a factor. I know from a media perspective, a rookie playing his first game is big news. From Sutter's perspective, he is just player number.
Small sample size warning, but I thought Pelletier looked a lot more ready than Phillips. Phillips seemed to struggle with quick decision making and would abandon the puck when he was being rushed. Pelletier seems to think the game at a better pace and didn't seem nervous or rushed to make a decision.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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