The St. Louis Blues came close to advancing to the second round in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, they came up short in the first round against the Winnipeg Jets. The Blues entered NHL Free Agency this summer hoping they could find the pieces to help them take the next step.
St. Louis has a very intriguing core already in place, especially among its forwards. Robert Thomas has emerged as one of the better playmakers in the league. Jordan Kyrou is one of the more underrated pure goal scorers in the NHL, as well. Other stars such as Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg have also made an impact.
However, the Blues needed to add a bit of depth to their lineup. NHL Free Agency did not offer a lot in terms of true impact players. Depth, however, was available in abundance. And St. Louis added some intriguing depth pieces.
One signing, in particular, stands out above the rest. There is some risk involved, but this could be one of the more shrewd signings of this NHL Free Agency class down the line. Heavy.com is naming former Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter as the Blues’ best signing of the summer.
Pius Suter Enjoyed Career Year in 2024-25
Derek Cain/Getty ImagesPius Suter could be an important part of the St. Louis Blues in 2025-26.
Suter began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks before spending time with the Detroit Red Wings. He showed promise with both Original Six franchises, but he never broke out as a top-six contributor. In 2024-25, he showed that he might be able to handle that sort of responsibility.
The Canucks lacked center depth this past season, and this allowed Suter to play up the lineup. He responded with the best statistical season of his career. He scored 25 goals and 46 points in 81 games. This marked the first time since 2021-22 that he scored more than 30 points in a single season, as well.
Suter can play a two-way game, as well. He recorded 5.5 Offensive Goals Above Replacement in 2024-25, according to Evolving Hockey. At the other end, he recorded 4.4 Defensive Goals Above Replacement. Only Conor Garland had a higher DGAR among Canucks forwards in 2024-25.
The Blues are getting a player who can contribute at both ends of the ice. Suter is a legitimate middle-six contributor at this point. And he gives St. Louis options in terms of lineup configuration.
Suter Brings Lineup Versatility to Blues
One of the things the Blues liked about Suter was his versatility. General manager Doug Armstrong mentioned the ease of moving a center to the wing if needed. And Suter has the ability to play either position.
“(We) have five natural centers now with (Brayden) Schenn there and [Oskar Sundqvist], so there’s going to be some options and it’s always easier to move a centerman over to wing than a wing to center. We like our depth there and we think he can play with (Dylan) Holloway and (Jordan) Kyrou if that’s what the coach wants to do. He’s very versatile and it’s going to give us some options and the coach some options during training camp,” Armstrong said, via NHL.com.
Head coach Jim Montgomery has time to figure out his lines. No matter what, he has no shortage of options heading into the 2025-26 season. Suter should make his Blues debut on October 9th against the Minnesota Wild.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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