Despite having a season full of career highs, Pius Suter may not be able to sign his next contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The 28-year-old, who has played up and down the lineup this season, currently sits at sixth on Vancouver in points with 42 in 74 games. His 22 goals this season put him third in team scoring behind fellow 2025 unrestricted free agent Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk. While his two-year contract expires after this season, Suter’s future with the Canucks is still unknown.
A Pius Suter Contract is a Good Value
Suter, an undrafted forward, made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in January of 2021. He put up 14 goals and 13 assists in his first season, doing so in 55 games. He hit a career high in goals, assists, and points the season after as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, all of which he is likely to break by the end of the 2024–25 regular season. Currently, Suter makes $1.6M a year, though he previously made $3.25M annually with Detroit. Whatever he ends up making in 2025–26 will definitely surpass that.
As it stands, AFP Analytics projects Suter’s contract to be a little less than $4M per year, with the length estimated to be four years. These analytics list players like Barclay Goodrow, Alex Kerfoot, and Adam Lowry as some comparables for what Suter could be making. Suter has shown that he is capable of centring a first line if needed. This makes his projected $4M cap hit look great, especially when the NHL cap looks to rise to $95M by next season. The only concern that arises comes from who Vancouver has to sign in the next few seasons.
Vancouver Need to Re-Sign Their Key Players
While forward Elias Pettersson has been locked down until 2032, many key Canucks still need new contracts in the coming seasons. Boeser, whose deal expires at the end of this season as well, is currently making $6.65M per year. He is currently the longest-tenured Canuck and one of nine players in franchise history to score 200 career goals. By the end of the 2025–26 season, both Conor Garland and Thatcher Demko will need new contracts. Garland currently makes an annual average of $4.95M, while Demko takes home $5M a year. Kiefer Sherwood will also be due for another deal by the 2026 offseason. If he continues the record-breaking successes he has seen this year, Vancouver will need to toss out even more money in order to keep him.
The most important deal the Canucks will need to make, however, comes after the 2026–27 season. Quinn Hughes is due for a contract extension during the 2027 offseason. With Hughes projected to pass Alex Edler in franchise points by a defenceman by the end of this season, it’s in the Canucks best interest to keep the player who is bound to go down as the best defender in the team’s history. While $4M for Suter would be great, there’s no guarantee that he’ll sign for this little. Vancouver also needs to keep cap space clear for Garland, Demko, Hughes, and more.
Suter Deserves His Flowers
Just because Vancouver can’t afford him, it doesn’t mean that Suter shouldn’t be making less than what he’s worth. Both the Canucks fanbase as well as Canucks staff are aware that his successes are only helping his stock rise, making Suter’s next contract even more expensive.
“He scored his 20th, I told him after the game, ‘cha-ching.’ That’s a cha-ching goal,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said of Suter’s 20th goal of the season, which he scored against the Winnipeg Jets on March 18th.
Will Suter Sign Another Contract With Vancouver?
Suter’s future with the Canucks could depend on Filip Chytil’s status. The 25-year-old left the game on March 15th against the Blackhawks after being hit by Jason Dickinson. Chytil has sustained five concussions throughout his career. He’s also dealing with symptoms that are likely to keep him out of play for the rest of this season. If Chytil is unable to play long-term, signing Suter to another contract may be the best option for Vancouver.
Main Photo Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
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