Dallas Stars signing Ryan Suter raises more questions than it provides answers

Ryan Suter is already off the free agent market and is heading to the Lone Star State to play for the Dallas Stars but on a pretty strange deal.

After missing the playoffs last season after going to the Stanley Cup Final the year prior, the Dallas Stars have been busy in free agency in an attempt to make it back to the postseason, but first of all, adding a big name to their defense.

The Dallas Stars have signed Ryan Suter to a four-year deal with a cap hit of $3.65M a year, keeping Suter in the Central division after being unexpectedly bought out by the Minnesota Wild.

The 36-year old Suter is obviously nowhere near the caliber of player that he used to be, but his performance has aged quite well despite his age and was still playing important minutes in the Wild’s top four. Over the past nine seasons, Suter has recorded 55 goals and 369 points with the Wild. In 56 games this past season, Suter tallied three goals and 19 points.

Why did the Dallas Stars sign Ryan Suter to that contract?

However, Suter’s performance has nothing to do with what makes this contract strange. At 36 years old, Suter has already begun to decline and giving him four years at not a cheap cap hit just seems like an ill-advised idea. It gives Suter some nice security but could be regrettable for Dallas a few years down the line. It screams like the kind of contract that’ll become a cap dump to a team like the Coyotes in two-three years.

Ignoring the strange term of this contract, Suter is a strong addition to the Stars as it stands right now going into next season. Suter will likely plug into the Stars second pair to play alongside either Miro Heiskanen or John Klingberg, while also giving them some reinforcements on their penalty kill.

If nothing else, the Dallas Stars are definitely committed to being one the oldest team in the NHL. This signing brings their average age on defense to 29.7 years old, which trails only the Washington Capitals for the oldest team in the NHL.

Regardless of the term, Suter is a strong addition to the Dallas Stars right now and will help get them closer to returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season.