The St. Louis Blues surprised fans and analysts by landing Pius Suter on Wednesday. The Blues got Suter on a two-year, $8.25 million contract, per PuckPedia.
Suter’s signing wasn’t about the money. There’s a fair chance Suter could have gotten a bigger payday elsewhere. There are plenty of teams desperate for depth down the middle. Clubs like the Montreal Canadiens have been quite open about their desire for a second-line center.
Instead, Suter opted to sign with the Blues. While it may seem surprising on the surface, there’s plenty of logic to the signing from both ends.
Let’s start with Suter’s side of the equation. The turmoil in Vancouver is nothing new. The Canucks went through a turbulent season in 2024-25, culminating in the very public spat between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson.
Unfortunately, the club didn’t recover even after Miller was shipped to the New York Rangers. The instability persisted, eventually leading to Rick Tocchet’s decision to forego a contract extension.
Suter finds himself in a much more stable environment in St. Louis. The Blues have found a new path under Jim Montgomery and look poised to continue building a winning work ethic. That’s something that would appeal to a player like Suter, who’s eager to land a hefty payday with his next contract.
Now, let’s look at things from the Blues’ perspective. The Blues have two solid centers in Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn. But then got pretty thin thereafter. In a matter of 48 hours, the Blues addressed their center depth by adding Suter and Nick Bjugstad.
According to Daily Faceoff, Suter slides into the 3C slot and Bjugstand into the 4C role. However, there’s a chance that it won’t last very long.
Depending on the situation, the Blues could be compelled to move Schenn to the wing and up Suter to the 2C role. If nothing else changes, the Blues could have the deepest center core in the Western Conference.
Blues get Suter at a discount
The Blues got Pius Suter at a discount this offseason. According to The Athletic, Suter was projected to land a four-year deal at $4.98 million AAV. Let’s round that off to $5 million just to make things easier.
$5 million AAV for a guy who’s scored 25 goals seems like the going rate these days. There aren’t too many centers that can score nearly 30 goals and play solid defense. So, that cap hit would have been justified.
Instead, the Blues landed Suter closer to $4 million on a two-year deal. While the team isn’t amazing, the cap hit is. Suter is betting on himself and the Blues to have a great year. If Suter replicates his 25-goal season, his AAV will skyrocket on his next contract.
If that’s the case, the Blues may not get such a good bargain on his next contract. But then again, that will be a bridge the team will cross when it comes to it.
For now, the Blues got a great deal on Suter. He could be the best under-the-radar signing of this NHL free-agency season. If everything goes according to plan, the Blues will look like geniuses.