In this week’s episode of The Late Shift on the St. Louis Blues’ YouTube channel, veteran defenseman Ryan Suter expressed interest in playing beyond this season- with his wife’s blessing. More specifically, Suter mentioned he’s eager to sign an extension with St. Louis and wants to help the team return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Despite being considered an active team leading up to Friday’s trade deadline, there hasn’t been much chatter regarding the Blues’ interest in retaining Suter beyond this season. The 20-year veteran is not even a year removed from being bought out for a second time throughout his career and is currently playing on a one-year, league minimum salary.
To put it bluntly, Suter is a shell of the defenseman he used to be during his tenure with the Nashville Predators and early on in his 13-year contract with the Minnesota Wild. Still, he hasn’t been a detriment to the Blues’ defensive core this year.
His scoring is understandably down with one goal and 12 points through 61 games this season, averaging 20:19 of ice time. Whatever speed he displayed earlier in his career has been put out to pasture, but he’s still on pace to block approximately 100 shots and has a 91.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength. The latter statistic is on par with his career average.
Unless St. Louis trades defenseman Nick Leddy before the trade deadline or during the offseason, the Blues likely won’t have room on their blue line for Suter beyond this season. The team recently signed depth defenseman Tyler Tucker to a two-year extension, and he should be expected to take over in the bottom-pairing for Suter next year.
Depending on how adamant Suter is about playing next season, he may have to reconcile with taking on a lesser role in St. Louis or elsewhere. His reduced foot speed and scoring will preclude him from playing in any team’s top four and may extend through the bottom pairing. Still, a handful of teams could give Suter another shot on a league-minimum deal or even allow him to try out during preseason action.
Ryan Suter, Just the latest old time who can’t let go!
I’m not dead.
You’ll be stone dead in a minute.
Trotz has a multi-year deal ready to go for Suter. Hehe. :D
Done pretty well this year-yes
Meh. Suter doesn’t SUCK, but he’s long over the hill. And keeping him around next year does what, exactly? Six names for you: Faulk, Krug, Parayko, Broberg, Fowler, Leddy. All making at least $4M, and all signed at least through 2026. All of them but Broberg has some measure of a NTC. They all have to fit on the blueline SOMEhow. They want to keep Tucker in the bigs and show what he can do.
Meanwhile, there’s nothing that Suter can still do that — say — a Matt Kessel or a Hunter Skinner can’t, at nearly half his age yet. (And, by the bye, being the much-coveted right hand shots, which Suter isn’t.)