Letting Pius Suter go is looking like a massive mistake for the Vancouver Canucks
It’s early, but the Vancouver Canucks centre ice position still looks like an issue.
Elias Pettersson is off to a slow start. Filip Chytil has mixed good offence with costly turnovers. Then, the Canucks let 18-year-old Braeden Cootes start the season with the team before sending him back to the WHL.
Hey, at least Aatu RƤty has looked good, but he’s currently a third-line centre at best.
All of this begs the question: why didn’t the Canucks just keep Pius Suter?
The Swiss centre ended up hitting free agency on July 1, before signing a reasonable two-year deal with the St. Louis Blues worth $4.125 million per season.
So far in St. Louis, Suter has played a major role.
The 29-year-old has a goal and an assist through three games, but he’s also playing in all situations. Suter is second among Blues forwards in ice time on the penalty kill. He’s also averaged over two minutes of power-play time per game for a St. Louis team that splits time evenly between the first and second units.
Overall, he’s third among all Blues forwards, averaging 17:11 minutes per game. Only Dylan Holloway and Robert Thomas have averaged more on the Blues.
In a short sample size, he’s provided exactly what the Blues thought they were getting when they signed him in free agency.
Suter has found success in St. Louis playing with Jimmy Snuggerud and Mathieu Joseph. (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
āHeās a player that I think makes those around him better, whether heās in an offensive role or defensive role,” St. Louis head coach Jim Montgomery told The Hockey News during training camp.
“I havenāt seen him make a mistake in the neutral zone, on the forecheck, or the stuff that we were working on. It seems like, because of his hockey brain, he just adapts.”
So, the Blues successfully found a smart, affordableĀ centre who can play in all situations? Sounds like someone the Canucks could use.
Reports prior to free agency suggested that Suter could fetch $4.5 million to $5 million in free agency. Those reports from both Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic’s Thomas Drance suggested that the Canucks weren’t happy with that number.
However, they made a trade to acquire Evander Kane, who’s getting paid $5.125 million this season.
Even if the Canucks believed that Kane was superior to Suter, the more dire need for this team was finding someone who could play centre.
They had that player right in their lap, and they let him walk. Now, Suter is making an early impact for the Blues. Not only that, but he’s playing more than Pettersson or Chytil are for the Canucks.