The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted an estimation as to where the Red Wings’ 2021-2022 season roster stands as of July 29th, and he offers this take on where Pius Suter fits into the Wings’ “top six”:
How exactly [his] role shakes out remains to be seen, and will likely come down to training camp, but as things stand now, Suter may very well project as Detroit’s second-line center. Michael Rasmussen may yet give him a run, but Suter showed an ability to bring offense last season, and that’s something the Red Wings badly need high in the lineup.
With that said, there may be a bit of a transition shock in terms of the supporting cast. Suter’s most frequent linemates with the Blackhawks were Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, and Detroit simply cannot match that. It’s also impossible to know how well Suter’s strong debut season will translate to a full 82-game schedule.
But it’s easy enough to envision a world in which Suter plays with scorers Filip Zadina and Robby Fabbri on a true scoring line that could earn favorable offensive-zone deployments, which could help maximize his productivity. And for the short term and relatively low cost the Red Wings paid, he looks like a really strong bet to place.
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