This is the exact reason, you are right. The take-off of Lutz and Flip stresses her left knee far more than the landing of a triple jump. And it's not like the landings don't hurt her at all - they do hurt, just not as much as the take off on Lutz and Flip.
I can't believe people actually doubt that the injury is the reason she is not doing these jumps. Carolina has always been the skater who risked and tried the most difficult combinations, even though she might not have been consistent with them in practice. May I just remind you of the 3Flip-3Toe-2Loop combinations she has done, not to mention the numerous 3-3 combos. Believe me, this is not fun for her. She would do the harder jumps if she could. Right now she does what she is capable of doing without being in too much pain. And she is just glad to be able to skate, because this is what she loves doing.
To me, her LP is gorgeous and I don't care if she does Lutz or Flip. If she gets surgery and her knee allows her to do Lutz and Flip again, she will put them back into her programs. Until then, I will just enjoy the beauty of her skating and the smile on her face because she is just so happy to be able to skate at all.
This comes from someone who knows her personally and who knows the situation she's in.
I absolutely agree with you!!!!! She will do flip and lutz when she'll feel comfortable with them and the injury! Plus..if people still complains because she is just doing the "easiest" triples what would they say if she start doing doubles? I can heard them already: Look at her...she cannot doing triples so she does doubles...where are we going if we are seeing at these years a skater doing doubles...bla bla bla...
People are always ready to complain with skater they don't like and tend to forget that a skater is maybe suffering badly...
I don't care if she has or doesn't have the flip or lutzes right now because she is skating so beautifully in this period and so freely! She overcome all those complains and critics she received in Italy after Vancouver and she is skating for her own pleasure and we can see it in her programs!
Flips and lutzes will be back...maybe this season or maybe next season who knows? What I really care is seeing her skating as she is doing now!