The bulk of NHL free agency is over and all the biggest names on the market are off the board. As teams and fans look back on what was a wild free agency, it is time to look at who some of the winners of this offseason were in free agency.
Harman Dayal of The Athletic put out a list of the top 10 best free agent signings of NHL free agency. Coming in at the second best signing is former Vancouver Canuck Pius Suter, who signed a two-year deal with the St. Louis Blues.
“Many expected that it would lead to Pius Suter, coming off a career-best 25-goal season in which he also delivered excellent defensive results, earning a massive payday. Instead, the Blues swooped in to land the savvy 29-year-old veteran on a tidy two-year deal,” Dayal wrote. “On one hand, you can understand why Suter has been overlooked and undervalued. He’s a tad undersized at 5-feet-11, is a below-average skater and a career 45.9 percent faceoff winner. Those qualities don’t fit the bill of a prototypical third-line center. However, what Suter lacks in pizzazz, he more than makes up for with his standout hockey IQ, high-end two-way acumen and Swiss Army knife versatility.”
What makes the deal so good is that St. Louis was able to sign Suter for a reasonable price. Locking up a reliable playmaker in Suter for just $4.125 per year is valuable for the Blues and gives them a player who can not only score, but also contribute on the penalty kill.
