He may be known as the son of a former player that was a part of Team USA’s ‘Miracle on Ice’; or the nephew of a former All-Star in the NHL. He could also be known as the ‘other half’ of the Preds’ standout blueline pairing. But he should be known as one of the best defenseman in the entire league – something that flies under the radar nationally.
Ryan Suter is a laid back, quiet Wisconsin native that can make everything go for the Preds defensively. Everyone in Nashville knew he was integral to the team’s success, but I don’t think they knew just how valuable he is until he sat out 11 of the first 19 games this season with a knee injury. It was almost like the old saying, ‘you don’t know what you have until you don’t have it anymore’.
Now that Suter has been in the lineup the last couple weeks, he’s starting to look like himself and is getting closer to the level this team needs it to be.
“He missed about ten games, and when you miss ten you need five games to get back to where you need to be,” Coach Barry Trotz explained. “The timing, his hands, how he reads the plays, his confidence with the puck – I think it’s all coming back.”
“Obviously when you come back, the timing is off,” Suter said. “You don’t feel too comfortable, just with everything. But yeah, I’m starting to feel better now.”
Suter also stated that it was somewhat of a shock to the system for him, considering he’s never had a significant injury before.
“I’ve never really been hurt bad, so it was definitely tough to take,” Suter said. “But now I’m back and starting to feel good – it’s a big relief.”
When the 2010 Team USA stalwart was out of the lineup, the defensive corps was all over the place at times. Pairings were juggled from game-to-game, and the consistency you come to expect from a Nashville blueline just wasn’t there.
“The guys had to step up and play a lot more minutes than they’re used to,” Shea Weber said. “Obviously, with a player of his caliber, it’s going to hurt you when you lose that ability.”
The numbers speak for themselves. In 11 games without Suter, the Preds have surrendered an average of three goals per game; with him in the lineup, that number shrinks to 2.21.
Suter’s presence alone also makes a difference on the man advantage. The Preds’ power play is 2-for-43 without his services, good enough for a 4.7 percent conversion rate. However, with his calm puck-moving ability, the team is 9-for-51 – a much more bearable 17.6 percent rate.
“He comes across the line as good as anybody,” Trotz said. “He sees the ice really well, has great mobility, patience and poise. All those things that you have with a guy that can run your power play up top from the blueline, the good ones are able to do that.”
The contrasting records stand out as well; the team is 8-2-4 with Suter, 4-6-1 without.
Weber and Suter – fellow 2003 draftees – have made up the team’s top defensive pairing for a good three years now (ever since Marek Zidlicky and Kimmo Timonen exited stage left). It is one of the best back end duos going right now in the league. When they are on the ice, you rarely see breakdowns in Nashville’s zone and their presence together slows the game down.
“If you could take every piece of what they do and just put it into one defenseman, you’d have the most ultimate defenseman ever made,” Trotz said.
The hard-hitting Weber has averaged in excess of 25 minutes of ice-time per game this year, while the calm and savvy Suter has logged over 23 minutes (and that includes his two-shift night vs. Calgary when he suffered his injury).
“They are almost polar opposites in some ways,” Trotz said. “Ryan has a lot of that escapability and puck-moving, whereas Shea is kind of a loud player – big hits, physical, big shot. They really complement each other. One works better with the other one; when they work with similar type of entities, they aren’t as effective.”
In Suter’s absence, Weber had a minus-9 plus/minus rating. They are a combined plus-two when healthy and playing as a pairing this year.
“Shea’s got a slap shot that is rivaled by anyone in the league,” Steve Sullivan said. “I think he’s one of the few in the league that can beat a guy without a screen in front of the net. Sutes positions himself well and reads the game well. That combination together on the blueline makes them that much more of a threat.”
However, neither Weber nor Suter are satisfied with their play of late.
“I’m know he’s not happy with the way he’s been playing, and I know I’m definitely not happy with the way I’ve been playing,” Suter said. “We’ll get it going here, hopefully, and play a lot better.”
Playing alongside Weber has sort of left Suter in the shadows a bit. Between Weber possessing the cannon from the point, dishing highlight reel hits, and being the team captain, Suter’s game doesn’t get enough attention – on a national scale – as it perhaps should otherwise.
His point totals aren't going to jump out at you, and he may never win a scoring title amongst defensemen; but if Suter weren’t in Nashville, he could easily be the top defenseman on two-thirds of the teams around the league.
As Sullivan simply put it, “He’s going to be an All-Star defenseman for years to come and you can’t replace him.”
Photos credit: Getty Images
Ryan Suter is a laid back, quiet Wisconsin native that can make everything go for the Preds defensively. Everyone in Nashville knew he was integral to the team’s success, but I don’t think they knew just how valuable he is until he sat out 11 of the first 19 games this season with a knee injury. It was almost like the old saying, ‘you don’t know what you have until you don’t have it anymore’.
Now that Suter has been in the lineup the last couple weeks, he’s starting to look like himself and is getting closer to the level this team needs it to be.
“He missed about ten games, and when you miss ten you need five games to get back to where you need to be,” Coach Barry Trotz explained. “The timing, his hands, how he reads the plays, his confidence with the puck – I think it’s all coming back.”
“Obviously when you come back, the timing is off,” Suter said. “You don’t feel too comfortable, just with everything. But yeah, I’m starting to feel better now.”
Suter also stated that it was somewhat of a shock to the system for him, considering he’s never had a significant injury before.
“I’ve never really been hurt bad, so it was definitely tough to take,” Suter said. “But now I’m back and starting to feel good – it’s a big relief.”
When the 2010 Team USA stalwart was out of the lineup, the defensive corps was all over the place at times. Pairings were juggled from game-to-game, and the consistency you come to expect from a Nashville blueline just wasn’t there.
“The guys had to step up and play a lot more minutes than they’re used to,” Shea Weber said. “Obviously, with a player of his caliber, it’s going to hurt you when you lose that ability.”
The numbers speak for themselves. In 11 games without Suter, the Preds have surrendered an average of three goals per game; with him in the lineup, that number shrinks to 2.21.
Suter’s presence alone also makes a difference on the man advantage. The Preds’ power play is 2-for-43 without his services, good enough for a 4.7 percent conversion rate. However, with his calm puck-moving ability, the team is 9-for-51 – a much more bearable 17.6 percent rate.
“He comes across the line as good as anybody,” Trotz said. “He sees the ice really well, has great mobility, patience and poise. All those things that you have with a guy that can run your power play up top from the blueline, the good ones are able to do that.”
The contrasting records stand out as well; the team is 8-2-4 with Suter, 4-6-1 without.
Weber and Suter – fellow 2003 draftees – have made up the team’s top defensive pairing for a good three years now (ever since Marek Zidlicky and Kimmo Timonen exited stage left). It is one of the best back end duos going right now in the league. When they are on the ice, you rarely see breakdowns in Nashville’s zone and their presence together slows the game down.
“If you could take every piece of what they do and just put it into one defenseman, you’d have the most ultimate defenseman ever made,” Trotz said.
The hard-hitting Weber has averaged in excess of 25 minutes of ice-time per game this year, while the calm and savvy Suter has logged over 23 minutes (and that includes his two-shift night vs. Calgary when he suffered his injury).“They are almost polar opposites in some ways,” Trotz said. “Ryan has a lot of that escapability and puck-moving, whereas Shea is kind of a loud player – big hits, physical, big shot. They really complement each other. One works better with the other one; when they work with similar type of entities, they aren’t as effective.”
In Suter’s absence, Weber had a minus-9 plus/minus rating. They are a combined plus-two when healthy and playing as a pairing this year.
“Shea’s got a slap shot that is rivaled by anyone in the league,” Steve Sullivan said. “I think he’s one of the few in the league that can beat a guy without a screen in front of the net. Sutes positions himself well and reads the game well. That combination together on the blueline makes them that much more of a threat.”
However, neither Weber nor Suter are satisfied with their play of late.
“I’m know he’s not happy with the way he’s been playing, and I know I’m definitely not happy with the way I’ve been playing,” Suter said. “We’ll get it going here, hopefully, and play a lot better.”
Playing alongside Weber has sort of left Suter in the shadows a bit. Between Weber possessing the cannon from the point, dishing highlight reel hits, and being the team captain, Suter’s game doesn’t get enough attention – on a national scale – as it perhaps should otherwise.
His point totals aren't going to jump out at you, and he may never win a scoring title amongst defensemen; but if Suter weren’t in Nashville, he could easily be the top defenseman on two-thirds of the teams around the league.
As Sullivan simply put it, “He’s going to be an All-Star defenseman for years to come and you can’t replace him.”
Photos credit: Getty Images
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