With Ryan Suter set to hit the open market, the former Stars star will draw plenty of interest.
There will be another veteran defenseman up for grabs when the NHL free agency period begins on Monday, as the Dallas Stars have decided to buy out the remaining term of Ryan Suter's contract.
This marks the second time in his career that Suter has been bought out, as he's still getting paid by the Minnesota Wild to no longer play for them. And despite his advanced age of 39 years, he remains a reliable skater with a high hockey IQ. Additionally, durability isn't an issue for him as he skated in all 82 regular season games for Dallas in 2023-24 while averaging just under 19 minutes of ice time.
His buyout will cost the Stars a salary cap hit of $783,334 in 2024-25 and $1,433,334 in 2025-26. And he's given no indication of calling it a career, but will likely have to accept an extremely discounted contract if he's to keep playing.
He's not what he once was, but he could provide valuable leadership and mentorship for younger players. What are some realistic destinations that Suter could find himself in for what could be his final NHL contract?
Rangers land Ryan Suter
The Rangers are reportedly shopping hard-hitting blue line captain Jacob Trouba. If he indeed departs the Big Apple, there will be an opening on New York's defensive pairings.
The contending Rangers won the President's Trophy as the top regular season squad in 2023-24, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final where their postseason run would come to a close at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. They're in win-now mode, and if Trouba is playing elsewhere this fall, Suter would be an adequate replacement.
Avalanche make Suter splash
The Avalanche are coming off a round one postseason loss at the hands of Suter and the Stars, and have several pending unrestricted free agents on their blue line set to hit the open market. Jack Johnson, Caleb Jones and Sean Walker are all up for new contracts, and the team could be preparing to move on from one or multiple of the aforementioned names.
Not only would Suter fit in nicely on Colorado's back end, but he's already very familiar with the team from having played against them for so many years as a division rival with the Wild. Suter still plays a physical brand of hockey, which would fit into head coach Jared Bednar's style of play. Additionally, Suter could aid in Colorado's penalty killing while also pursuing what could be his final opportunity at winning the Stanley Cup.
Ryan Suter picks Kings
Following yet another early exit from the postseason at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, the Kings have already made a massive move by trading the bloated contract of Pierre Luc-Dubois to the Washington Capitals and receiving goaltender Darcy Kuemper in return for his second go-around in Hollywood.
A former teammate of Kuemper's in Minnesota, Suter could also slot in on the Los Angeles blue line as a potential replacement for Matt Roy, who is set to hit the open market.
