The St. Louis Blues have signed defenceman Ryan Suter to a one-year contract. The contract is worth $775,000 plus bonus incentives.
Blues Sign Suter
Ryan Suter, welcome to St. Louis.
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/2cysVriYFr
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 10, 2024
Suter, a 19-year veteran, has spent the last three seasons with the Dallas Stars. He has also played with the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild.
Suter has accumulated 105 goals and 576 assists in 1,444 career regular-season games. Furthermore, Suter has recorded seven goals and 37 assists in 133 career postseason appearances.
The three-time All-Star has been a reliable defender in his career. However, he is 39 years old and is coming off a rough 2023-24 season with the Stars.
Buyouts And Central Division Teams
Suter has been bought out twice in his career. Both times followed disappointing seasons. The Wild bought out Suter’s contract following the 2021 season. The Stars bought out Suter’s contract on the first day of the 2024 off-season.
Suter has also spent his entire career in the Central Division. Suter made his NHL debut with the Predators in 2005. After a successful start to his career with the Predators, Suter signed a big contract with the Wild. After his three-year stint in Dallas, Suter is now joining the Blues.
What This Means For The Blues
Suter is another left-handed defenceman for the Blues. He is the second the Blues have signed this off-season, after signing Pierre-Olivier Joseph a few weeks ago. The Blues now have six left-handed defenceman.
It is unclear at this time how the Blues will manager their roster with a surplus of defenceman. Moving a higher-cost defenceman would help clear the surplus and cap space. However, the cost to do so may make it hard to do.
Suter is certainly a veteran prescence that the younger defenceman will benefit from working with. That right there makes this a good investment by the Blues.
Is This The Last Major Move For The Blues This Off-Season?
It is certainly possible that this is the final big move for the Blues. However, General Manager Doug Armstrong has been known to make some moves that seemingly come out of nowhere. The Justin Faulk trade is a prime example.
For the remainder of the Blues off-season, it may be best to just sit back and see what, if anything, happens.
Main Photo: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
