Flames free agency target: Pius Suter

Pros for the Flames

The obvious pro for bringing in a player like Suter is that the Flames address their centre depth. He can be a potential solution to address the team’s scoring woes; however, one breakout season doesn’t guarantee anything, especially since he would be in a new coaching system.

Cap space isn’t an issue either, so the Flames would be able to give a pretty competitive offer money-wise. With that being said, (spoiler alert) there are more cons than pros if the Flames were to sign Suter.

Cons for the Flames

Simply put, an obvious con for Suter is his age. He’s 29 and doesn’t fit the Flames’ timeline and what they’re trying to build.

Secondly, there wouldn’t be any room for Suter to truly be centre. The Flames already have Nazem Kadri, Mikeal Backlund, and Morgan Frost, who are all natural centres. You’re likely not signing Suter to be your fourth-line centre, so he wouldn’t exactly be getting the biggest role in Calgary.

Suter also frankly wouldn’t move the needle much for the Flames. While he was a 20-goal scorer this season, it’s the first time in his career that he has eclipsed the 20-goal mark. His career highs before this season were 15 for goals and 36 for points. Therefore, Suter on a contending team is likely a third-line centre. The last thing the Flames need is to add another middle-six forward, which would only reinforce the mediocrity risk. If the Flames were to add Suter, they’d have to subtract a forward.

What will Suter’s next contract look like?

Based on the year Suter had and with the cap rising, he’s going to get paid. Suter also plays a coveted forward position, so many teams will be connected to him. I’m predicting he gets a 3-4 year deal with an AAV of $4.5-5.25 million. I think we’re going to see a lot of sticker shock on July 1st.

Final thoughts

Suter is a great player, but on a contending he’s a low-end second-line to solid third-line centre. The Flames aren’t in the position to add veteran players, but also couldn’t provide Suter with a large enough role unless they subtracted players. In conclusion, the fit for Suter isn’t going to be in Calgary. There’s still a chance he extends in Vancouver, but he’ll likely get paid way more for his services elsewhere.