It was a career year for Pius Suter this season with the Vancouver Canucks. The 29-year-old Swiss centreman matched his career high in assists and tacked on a new career high in goals, finally breaking out of the 14 and 15-goal range.
Suter signed with the club during the 2023 offseason for just $1.6-million, a late budget signing for a solid middle-six forward that was a fairly consistent point producer lower down in the lineup during his season with the Chicago Blackhawks and two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
During his time in Vancouver, he quickly established himself as a reliable forward who could play on the wing and at centre — and he only elevated that to becoming a valuable contributor to the team both offensively and defensively.
Pius Suter’s season
Suter was a bright spot during an otherwise gloomy season in Vancouver this season. Beginning the year on JT Miller’s wing, the Suter started out hot, taking the team lead in goals with 11 through the first 24 games of the season.
Following that impressive start, Suter cooled off. The Swiss forward was held without a goal for the following 23 games, registering just four points during that stretch. Despite this cold streak, he still managed to impact the team with his defensive play. Suter became a main contributor on the team’s penalty kill, something he hadn’t done previously as a member of the Canucks.
Throughout the season, Suter continued to develop his 200-foot game, which earned him a role on both sides of the Canucks’ special teams. He turned into a top penalty killer, as a first-over-the-boards player on the top unit, while splitting time between the team’s first and second power play units. His ability defensively earned him his first career Selke Trophy vote for the league’s best defensive forward.
The Swiss forward was an integral piece to the Canucks team this season, especially down the stretch. When the Canucks were battling injuries down the middle of the ice with both Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil on the shelf, Suter stepped up and played the part as the clubs first line centre.
After Pettersson’s injury against the Rangers, Suter went on a four-game winning streak, tallying two goals and six assists during that span. He would finish the season with five goals and seven assists in 12 games as the team’s top centre, averaging over 20 minutes per game in all but three of those games. On the season as a whole, Suter logged a career high 17:21 minutes per night, moving up and down the lineup as needed and playing a significant role in special teams.
This career year has made him a likely highly sought-after free agent this upcoming offseason. Many people were surprised that the Canucks did not decide to move him at the trade deadline, given his expiring contract. Especially now, with the season Suter had, he has likely priced himself out of Vancouver.
The Final Stats
Games: 81, Goals: 25, Assists: 21, Points: 46, Plus/Minus: +2, Avg. TOI: 17:21
The biggest storyline of Suter’s season was how he broke his previous career high in goals. If it weren’t for that cold stretch in the middle of the year, there’s a good chance he doubles his previous career high with 30. Not only did he break his previous career high in goals by 10, he set a new career high in points with 46 – 10 more than his previous best season.
Playing a career high in ice time this season allowed Suter to produce at the level he did, and he took advantage. Taking his game to new heights and giving his career some new life, ensuring a longer-term spot in the NHL, coming a long way from being a late budget signing two years ago.
His defensive numbers were also solid, finishing with a plus-2 rating during a year where the team’s goal differential was -18. Suter’s Corsi numbers prove this, as he had the team’s eighth-best Corsi percentage out of forwards that played a minimum of 25 games during the regular season.
As a centreman, the team relied heavily upon him, having the second highest percentage of defensive zone starts, only behind Teddy Blueger. However, Suter struggled in the faceoff dot, winning a career low 42.6% of his draws.
Despite his difficulties in the dot, he made up for it by being a net positive defensively, which earned him one fifth-place Selke vote.
Overall, the offensive production couldn’t have come at a better time for the 29-year-old, paired with his impact on the defensive side. In typical contract-year fashion, with the salary cap on the rise, Suter has set himself up nicely for the future – whether that be in Vancouver or not.
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