VANCOUVER – When impending free-agent centre Pius Suter became a first-time 20-goal scorer on March 18, Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet wryly called it a “cha-ching goal.” Suter was going to get paid.
On Friday, the Daily Faceoff website projected that payment at four years and $3.9-million per season. With contract valuations by AFP Analytics, Daily Faceoff has Suter listed 25th in its top-50 National Hockey League players eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1.
Without naming a price, Suter told Sportsnet he’d like to stay in Vancouver but there has been little contact between the Canucks and his agent, Georges Mueller.
Watching Suter practise with the Canucks Friday at the University of B.C., general manager Patrik Allvin said assistant GM Emilie Castonguay has been in touch with Mueller.
“I think it`s great that players want to play in Vancouver,” Allvin said. “I honestly think that`s a great sign for us. When a player wants it and the team wants it, you usually find a way to make it happen.
“Pius has continued to grow, and I think we`re very pleased with the way he`s playing. The commitment he put in this year is paying off. I can`t say enough about how professional he is — and his versatility. When he`s called upon, he is playing well for us.”
Suter has career-highs of 22 goals and 42 points in 74 games. And he has played especially well the last three weeks, amassing six goals and 13 points in 11 games during the current injury crisis down the middle. He became the Canucks’ second-line centre when Filip Chytil suffered a concussion on March 15, and has centred Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk on the top line since Elias Pettersson left the lineup with an upper-body injury on March 22.
“I just want to keep getting better and show what I can do,” Suter said. “Obviously in that regard, I`m quite happy. But still, we`ve lost a few too many games. But, yeah, you just want to prove yourself.
“I always felt like I could score a few more goals.”
It is not unusual that a player like Suter, who was actually scratched by coach Rick Tocchet for the Canucks’ season-opener, isn’t yet close to an extension as the end of the regular season nears. Typically, players near the bottom of the lineup have to wait to re-sign as management deals with bigger-ticket items.
But the Canucks re-signed bottom-six winger Drew O’Connor in February for two years at $2.5-million, shortly after his trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins. And Suter doesn’t appear to be a typical depth centre, especially with uncertainty in Vancouver about the future of centres Chytil and Pettersson.
“He`s been a great story,” Tocchet said this week about Suter. “He`s deserved what he`s deserved this year because he`s put the work in, so he`s a positive story for us.
“When we sit at the round table (as coaches) and you look at what type of players you want, he`s obviously a guy that I`ve really liked. He`s really helped me in a tough situation… when guys went down and stuff like that. He`s been always a constant for me. You always root for a guy like that, sure.”
Asked about his team’s needs at centre, Allvin said: “We feel pretty good with our goalies and we feel good with our defence, and now we`re going to improve our forwards. If that`s through trades or free-agent signings, that`s something we have to look into. But I mean, Pius has been good for us, no doubt about that.”
Suter was a bargain signing for Allvin two summers ago when the Canucks waited until August for his free-agent demands to drop and signed the former Detroit Red Wing to a two-year deal that carried a salary of $1.6-million. Suter’s previous best season offensively was with Detroit in 2022, when the left-shot centre had 15 goals and 36 points.
