Red Wings Top 10 Question Marks Heading Into the Off-Season

What Will Pius Suter’s Role With the Red Wings be?

Pius Suter is in a less than ideal situation. Heading into the season, his role with the team is one of the biggest question marks of all.

Suter was a undrafted player that orignally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks before signing with the Detroit Red Wings last season. Prior to that though, he spent a lot of time in the NL with the ZSC Lions. A ice hockey organization in Switzlerand.

In his time with the Lions, he always seemed to put up decent numbers, but never really popped off. To further on that, his skill-set and lack of production to make up for the lack of skill, made him one of the least valuable players in the draft. But, after a promising season with the Blackhawks, the Red Wings took a flyer on him.

In the 2019-20 season that Suter spent with the Blackhawks, he played in 55 games. In those 55 games, he was able to produce 14 goals, 13 assists for a total of 27 points. Something about his play stood out to the Red Wings though because he became a Red Wing last off-season and now they are stuck with him for the coming year.

Suter played in all 82 games last season for the Red Wings which is admirable. But in 82 games, you would like to see more from him than what he gave us. Having only scored 15 goals and 21 assists, he did not really produce well which arises the question: What do the Red Wings do with Suter?

Pius Suter is under contract for this upcoming season and is set to make $3,250,000. Now, although that’s not a ton of money in the league nowadays, it still feels like quite the overpay. His play and production has not backed up that price tag which is why I’ll say this.

I appreciate Suter and the fact that he is consistent. If nothing good comes of his play, at least we can say he was a dependeable player. But you don’t pay a guy who’s best trait is that he’s dependable, $3,250,000. You just don’t. It’s bad business. And that’s why I feel that come this next season, Suter will have to earn his spot on the roster. If he doesn’t he won’t be on the team past the trade deadline.

The Red Wings have some very talented forwards, and after acquiring Oskar Sundqvist, they have plenty of centers. Now, I don’t think going into camp day one, we have anyone who should be manning the second-line. However, I think between Veleno, Rasmussen, Sundqvist, and Suter, Suter would probably be the guy I’d like to sit out. I just don’t have faith in him as a player to produce on that line. Which, makes me hate him because he’s making so much money to do nothing but be dependable.