Tampa Bay Lightning Free Agents: Should they stay or should they go?

Name: Andrej Sustr

Age: 27

Position: D

Free Agent Status: Unrestricted

Oh, Andrej Sustr, what an abysmal year it’s been.  In 44 games, Sustr produced just two goals and five assists for seven points on the season.  In addition to this, he produced a whopping minus-5 plus/minus rating to tie with fellow free agent Cedric Paquette for worst on the team.

As his stat would reveal, he was on the ice a lot when the other team scored and he has become famous for his signature turnovers.  He didn’t play a single game in the postseason this year, and now that the Bolts have Ryan McDonagh, Sustr is one of the three odd men out, with the other two being Jake Dotchin and Slater Koekkoek.

Honestly, there aren’t many positives to be said about Sustr’s season.  The Bolts already have nine defensemen on the roster and Sustr drawing into the lineup prevents younger guys like Slater Koekkoek and Jake Dotchin from getting ice time.  When that’s paired with a sub-par performance when he does play, Sustr becomes expendable.

Verdict: Go, bye, see ya.  Andrej Sustr was part of the Lightning’s defensive problem this season, and compared to the other defensemen on the roster, he doesn’t bring anything to the lineup.  His frequent turnovers make him a liability on defense, and Jake Dotchin and Slater Koekkoek bring more to the depth chart than Sustr does. This should be a no-brainer for the Lightning.