Is speed dial still a thing these days? If it is, I don’t use it. But even so, Ryan Suter’s name should stay in general manager Doug Armstrong’s contact list if the Blues need another defenseman at any point during the 2025-26 season.
That said, I wouldn’t bring him back on another one-year deal this offseason, and if he signs with another team, then any potential deal is off the table. Well, unless the Blues wanted to flip a late-round pick for him. But that’s a tale for another time.
If Suter goes unsigned or if he retires, the Blues are in business if another unexpected or unfortunate event occurs in their defensive rotation. Last season, it was Torey Krug, who probably isn’t coming back. So it’s not like these kinds of things don’t happen, and the Blues are no stranger to them.
Blues don’t need Ryan Suter at the moment with the ongoing youth movement
If the Blues had a shorter championship window and needed a reliable veteran to play the sixth or seventh defenseman role, I’d go with Suter in about two seconds. But, despite their playoff berth, they’re still a retooling hockey team, so they need to try and sign or acquire a youngster like Bowen Byram before they would even attempt to bring back Suter.
But after the kind of year Suter had, in which he still logged nearly 20 minutes a game, blocked 109 shots, and finished with a solid plus-7, he showed he can still play. No, Suter wasn’t by any means great this past season, but he only needs to put up serviceable play, and he can do that. That makes him a viable consolation compared to organizational depth pieces if the Blues needed one.
It could take some shuffling, but the Blues, despite their ongoing retool, can also put together a team capable of making a deep playoff run. Because of that, they need to go with the proven veteran over someone who’s spending most of their time in the AHL - and is down there for a reason.
Ideally, we’ve seen the last of Ryan Suter with the Blues
Not that I wouldn’t be glad to see him in a Blues uniform if that needed to be the case, because I would be. But if he’s not in a Blues uniform next season, it means the team has a healthy defensive rotation and one that is preferably getting younger. Therefore, there would be no need to bring Suter back if he were available.
An ideal 2025-26 season would see the Blues blue line improve with Philip Broberg leading the charge while the older members of the group begin making more way for the youngsters. But, because of the circumstances, the younger players need to earn more ice time as opposed to skating more often just for the sake of gaining more experience.
Still, Suter makes for ideal insurance and if he landed a part-time role with a team like the Blues at any point in the season because of injury, expect reliable, solid play. Even if, at this point in his career, that kind of play would be unspectacular.
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