3-Time NHL All-Star Predicted to Retire

The NHL offseason is off and running, with teams locking in players for the future. The ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup is the motivator, with each franchise making moves that it believes will help it complete the mission.

There are still plenty of free agents available on the open market, with one veteran being very interesting. That would be defender Ryan Suter, who is 40 years old and has a limited market, if any.

NHL writer Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report has predicted that Suter will retire rather than sign anywhere. Suter has been weighing options and could end up choosing to hang up his skates.

"At age 40, it would appear rather unlikely that Suter would noticeably improve on those numbers, begging the question: what does he have left to prove at this point? Outside of chasing a Stanley Cup, what can he realistically do at this point in his career that he had not already accomplished?

"Short of signing a short-term deal with a contending team, simply for the experience of winning the prize that has eluded him for over two decades, retirement should not be out of the question. That is, unless a franchise like Edmonton, Winnipeg, Florida, or Toronto comes calling," Beaston wrote.