Veteran to get bought out for the second time in NHL career!

This may not come as a surprise to many but reports have emerged that the Dallas Stars are considering buy out veteran defenseman Ryan Suter. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman broke it down on 32 Thoughts podcast on Wednesday:

“If you take a look at his contract, to buy it out it’s not expensive. It’s four more years and it’s just under $800k for the first two years and about $1.5M for the last two years. I wonder if they think about it…

“...but again, Ryan Suter is a guy who played a lot of minutes for them, he’s Heiskanen’s partner, what are you doing there, how are you replacing those minutes?”

The sad thing for Suter is that he joined the Stars following his buyout from the Minnesota Wild. But his performances have raised concerns among fans and analysts, leading to rumours of a second buyout in his career. At 37 years old, he is no longer the same dominant defenseman he once was and it may be the right time for Dallas to buy him out.

Even though Friedman points out that he is paired with Heiskanen, the young blue liner’s emergence as a rising star has highlighted the contrast between their playing styles. If Suter is out of the equation, this allow the Stars to give a chance to promising young defensive prospects, such as Nils Lundkvist, Thomas Harley, and Artem Grushnikov, who are eager for playing time.

Now I can’t remember the last time an NHL player was bought out twice in his career, but I might see it this summer if the Stars chose to buy out the two years remaining on Suter’s contract, worth $3.65 million AAV per season.

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