veteran Ryan Suter The Blues announced they had signed the defenseman to a one-year contract, which includes $2.225 million in performance bonuses as he enters his 20th NHL season this fall. The team did not disclose the breakdown of the bonuses.
Suter spent the past three seasons with Dallas but saw his minutes decrease in 2023-24, dropping to 18:56 per game, his lowest since his rookie year in 2005-06 with Nashville. The 39-year-old Suter appeared in all 82 games for the third straight season but recorded just two goals and 15 assists, his lowest points total since then. Suter added four points in 19 postseason games but saw his ice time drop slightly to 17:50 per game.
As a result of his declining performance and playing time, the Stars opted to buy out the final year of his contract and the remaining $3.65 million, meaning he will be paid by the three Central Division teams next season, given he was still owed when he opted out of his contract with Minnesota in 2021. He joins the ranks of defensemen as just the second player in NHL history to have his contract opted out twice. Tony DeAngelo.
Suter is a veteran of 1,444 career NHL games, ranking him fifth all-time among U.S.-born players. If he stays healthy and plays as a regular in St. Louis, he could move up to second on that list. He's 72 games behind position-similar Matt Cullen. Suter has 681 points in those games, averaging more than 24 minutes of TOI per game.
Of course, these numbers don't reflect where Suter's career is at. At this point, he's more of a reserve player than a back-end anchor, but with the Blues, he'll be deployed behind the back end and could thrive more as a reserve. Colton Parayko, Justin Falk, Nick Reddyand Torey KrugOnce they are in place, Suter Scott Perunovich, Tyler Tuckerand newcomers Pierre Olivier Joseph Third pair play time.
The fact that the contract is structured this way is interesting because St. Louis has enough cap space to cover the full amount of the bonus if it is ever reached. According to RFA's PuckPedia, St. Louis still has over $7.3 million left to spare. Nikita Alexandrov He'd still need a new contract, but making his base salary the league minimum would ease his daily burden on the cap and could make him an attractive option for buyers as the trade deadline approaches if the Blues miss the playoffs. If he stays in St. Louis, the Blues should be able to cover those bonuses with the 2024-25 cap hit instead of carrying them over to next season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
