The Dallas Stars have reportedly signed unrestricted free agent defenceman Ryan Suter to a multi-year. Former NHL goalie and current ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes first reported the news.
From what I’m told , Ryan Suter closing in on a multi yr deal with the @DallasStars . @espn @NHL @NHLNetwork #HockeyTwitter
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) July 28, 2021
Dallas Lands Ryan Suter
Over his 16-year NHL career, Suter has played for the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild. He has put up 93 goals and 514 assists for 607 career points in 1,198 career games. Nashville originally selected him in the first round, seventh overall of the 2003 NHL Draft.
Last season was a down season for the Madison, Wis. native, he scored three goals and 16 assists for 19 points in 56 games. He also added 19 penalty minutes for the 2020-21 campaign. His possession numbers were 48.0 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 1.8
Suter and former Minnesota teammate Zach Parise were both bought out at the start of the offseason. The duo had signed 13-year contracts with the Wild in the 2012 free agency period. However, both struggled with declining numbers and general manager Bill Guerin decided to absorb the large cap hit for both players.
The veteran has represented the United States at various levels of international play. He’s part of teams at the IIHF World Juniors, World Championships and Olympic Games.
What This Means for the Future
Suter may not be able to produce like he did in the past, but he can be a useful member of the Stars’ roster. Dallas boasts one of the best defences in the league with Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg. The Stars are also one year removed from reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
Dallas did struggle through injuries and a pile up of games due to COVID. However, the Stars still have a solid squad if they make some tweaks to their roster. General manager Jim Nill has been pretty smart about putting together a roster that can challenge for a playoff spot in the Central Division.
