St. Louis Blues snag veteran defenseman Ryan Suter

“The St. Louis Blues have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Suter. The deal is worth a base salary of $775,000 and includes up to an additional $2.225 million in performance bonuses,” announced the St. Louis Blues Press Release.

The news comes after the St. Louis Blues have been relatively quiet within the free agent market, especially on the defensive side of the ice.

Suter, 39, brings plenty of experience to the Blues. He’s a three-time All-Star and has represented Team USA in international play.

Last year for the Dallas Stars, his average time on the ice was 18:56. In 82 games with the Stars, Suter recorded 17 points, highlighted by his 15 assists.

Suter is no stranger to the Central Division, having previously played for the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild in addition to the last three years in Dallas.

St. Louis Blues: The Suter signing makes sense

The move isn’t entirely unexpected. While GM Doug Armstrong did sign Pierre-Olivier Joseph to a similar one-year deal, the signing of Suter seems to indicate Armstrong and the coaching staff have their eyes on their prospects to enter NHL play sooner rather than later.

With a strong development camp from 2023 first-round pick Theo Lindstein and the drafting of three straight defensemen in the 2024 draft, the Blues are eagerly anticipating the entry of these promising prospects into the NHL. This is a sign of the team's bright future.

The signing of Suter serves a strategic purpose: it fills a void within a team that nearly missed the playoffs while strategically looking toward the future.

For now, the Blues have a skilled defenseman in Suter who will bring not only veteran NHL experience but also a physicality that analysts rave about. This adds a new talent to the team's defensive capabilities.