Brandon Sutter 'sees light at the end of the tunnel' in battle with long COVID

Much like the rest of the world, Brandon Sutter's life was thrown for a loop during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The forward was one of many Vancouver Canucks to test positive for the virus when an outbreak hit the team in April 2021. Sutter was able to finish out the season and then signed a one-year deal with Vancouver in the summer.

It wasn't until that August that his health started to deteriorate once he started to ramp up his activity to prepare for the 2021-22 season. Sutter has been dealing with the effects of long COVID and hasn't returned to NHL ice since.

Now 34, Sutter still isn't fully healthy but is starting to think about a return to professional hockey.

“You never know, but I feel like I’m working my way through it and I see light at the end of the tunnel,” Sutter said Monday on Sportsnet's Eric Francis Show.

“I’m able to work out again, and just do everyday things. ... I’ve been skating a couple days a week with the (Red Deer) Rebels. ... I can’t quite do the things I want to do, I can’t quite push it to a level I need to, but I’m getting better, and there is definitely hope it will all be behind me by mid-summer. If so, and I’m feeling good, I’ll give it my best chance to go for it.”