Pius Suter is giving the Blues something they can actually work with.
The St. Louis center has opened this season with the kind of production that stands out immediately: three goals and three assists for six points in eight games.
That’s a sharp turn from the way October has usually treated him. Across his seven-year career, Suter has played 53 games in the month and produced 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points.
This isn’t just about a hot first week, either. The Athletic recently listed Suter as an under-the-radar trade piece for St.
Louis, and that kind of attention makes sense with where things stand. He is in the final season of his contract, and the Blues now have a real choice to make with a 30-year-old center who has been useful, reliable and productive.
The short-term value is obvious. Suter has handled whatever role the Blues have asked of him, and since signing his current two-year deal with a $4.125 million annual average value, he has given them steady minutes. But that number becomes harder to justify if he is locked into a fourth-line job, especially with other roster and future decisions coming due.
Jimmy Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours and Jonatan Berggren are all set to be restricted free agents and, as the source notes, should be extended. Behind them, the center pipeline is also building, with Tynan Lawrence, Maddox Deganais and, more notably, Otto Stenberg in the mix.
That is why moving Suter at the deadline begins to make sense. If he keeps producing at this pace through March, the Blues could turn a strong season into an asset and open space for the next wave down the middle.
The case for keeping him is straightforward enough: he’s been dependable, he’s only 30, and he’s been a solid piece for the team. But the argument for cashing in is stronger if the season unfolds the way it has started.
His best months have traditionally come later in the year - November and March have both been big scoring stretches for him, with March producing 41 points - and if he keeps trending that way, St. Louis could get meaningful value back.
He has also remained a trusted penalty-kill option, and that matters because the Blues’ shorthanded unit has been the stronger of their two special teams. If they want any real competitiveness this season, that has to hold.
So the Blues are staring at a familiar front-office dilemma: ride the production, or use it. Right now, the smart play looks like treating Suter as a trade piece when February and March arrive.
With enough depth behind him and no easy way to bring him back at his current cost, that may be the move that serves St. Louis best.
In Other News...
Blues Loss Exposed Two Problems Fans Are Tired Of
The Blues latest trip through Nashville offered a familiar mix of hope and frustration, with a 5-2 loss that once again put their special teams under the microscope. Jimmy Snuggerud provided one bright spot by converting on the power play, giving St. Louis a needed jolt in a game where chances were harder to come by and the Predators penalty kill did plenty of the heavy lifting.
St. Louis managed only one goal on five power-play opportunities, and the inability to cash in when the game tilted toward the man advantage loomed large throughout the night. In goal, Jordan Binnington was left facing too much traffic and too many clean looks, and the Blues never found enough answers to keep the game from slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Bring Back A Young Name As Roster Questions Suddenly Grow
Roster maneuvering picked up around the Blues again as they turned to a familiar young name for help up front. Otto Stenberg was recalled from AHL Springfield as the club adjusted its forward group and kept a full 23-player roster in place, a sign that the day-to-day shuffle can have a bigger ripple effect when a team is already managing its cap picture.
The move came with Ross Johnston going on injured reserve because of a lower-body injury, and he is expected to miss at least a week. With Johnston sidelined and the roster full, the Blues have had to thread the needle between immediate availability and longer-range financial flexibility, which is how the cap conversation has suddenly become part of the personnel discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Logan Mailloux Finally Gave Blues Fans A Reason For Hope
Logan Mailloux is only three weeks into an eight-week recovery from hand surgery, but the young defenseman gave Blues fans a small sign that the long road back is moving in the right direction. Before a recent team practice, he was spotted skating on his own, the first indication that he has gotten back on the ice since the preseason injury that landed him on injured reserve.
For a club waiting to see what kind of impact Mailloux can make once healthy, even a solo skate carries some weight. The Blues still have a stretch to go before he is ready to rejoin the lineup, and his rehab remains the priority, but the sight of him moving again offered a more encouraging update than the silence that followed his surgery. [Read more 🡒]