He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks in a 14-year career.

[2] Six weeks before he was to finish his degree in environmental engineering, Sutton was signed as a free agent by the NHL's San Jose Sharks on March 20, 1998.

Sutton played parts of two seasons with the Wild before being traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for forward Hnat Domenichelli on January 22, 2002.

TV commentator Don Cherry called it the "biggest" trade of the year in reference to Sutton's size and the potential impact his physical play could make for the Senators in the post-season.

[10] Just a few weeks later, on December 8, 2011, Sutton was suspended indefinitely pending a hearing as a result of a hit delivered to Carolina Hurricanes' forward Alexei Ponikarovsky.