The Pius Suter center, one of the most prominent players available on the second day of free agency, joins the St. Louis Blues.
Suter signed a two-year contract worth $4.125 million annually on Wednesday, following the most solid season of his career. After scoring 28 goals and 51 points in two seasons, Suter exploded in the 2024-25 season with 25 goals and 46 points in his last year with the Vancouver Canucks.
With several unrestricted free agents like Sam Bennett, Brock Boeser, Brad Marchand, and Brock Nelson deciding to stay with their teams, Suter was one of the most coveted players on the market when free agency opened on Tuesday. His deal with the Blues eliminates another top-nine forward from the market, while the biggest name available, Nikolaj Ehlers, remains undecided about his future.
This is also the last move of a Blues team looking to take the next step after returning to the postseason with a first-round exit.
The Blues general manager, Doug Armstrong, said in June that veteran defenseman Torey Krug will not play next season as he continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2024-25 campaign.
The Blues, who had seven forwards scoring more than 18 goals, traded one of those forwards by moving Zack Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux with the aim of reinforcing their top-six defensive setup.
Armstrong took advantage of Monday to sign center Nick Bjugstad to a two-year contract, hoping he can operate as their third-line center.
But with the addition of Suter, the Blues could have one of the strongest center dynamics in the NHL from top to bottom, with Robert Thomas and captain Brayden Schenn occupying the top six spots, Suter on the third line, and Bjugstad potentially on the fourth line.
