MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- From Alexey Toropchenko to Ross Johnston to Zach Dean and Dylan Peterson to now Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Otto Stenberg, the shuffling and search for stability for the St. Louis Blues ' fourth line has been a work in progress through the first 10 games of this early portion of the season.
But one constant that has mostly been there is the crafty veteran, quiet in nature but loud with his actions, reliable, dependable, trustworthy: Pius Suter.
The 30-year-old, in the final year of a two-year, $8.25 million contract who has three goals and three assists as the team's fourth-line center this season, has seen his ice time cut by two minutes (15:54 to 13:54) from last year to this year. Some would look at that as a player having a poor start to the season, especially when ice time is cut down. But Suter was the team's third-line center last year, thrust into more of a scoring/checking role. Now he's the captain of the energy line, the one that sets the tone for others to come over the boards behind them.
He has gone from two big, physical and in Toropchenko's sense, speedy body to incorporating a couple young picks, kids into the mix and the results are as they normally are: reliable.
"Every player's a bit different, different strengths, but you just kind of stick to doing what you do well because if you try and change yourself too much, that's not really going to work out as well," Suter said. "Some tough injuries. I think the guys coming in have done a really good job, every single one of them brings energy, a lot of speed, hunts pucks. I think we've had some success on the line."
If you're looking for gaudy, analytical numbers that tell you a lot of technical stuff one way or the other, Suter's aren't the ones to go looking for. But in his case, the eye test tells you everything you need to know.
"I think his smarts, he's comforting, he's calm, he speaks calmly, he speaks confidently," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "I think he gives young players that everything is going to be good."
Since being recalled earlier in the week, Kaskimaki and Stenberg have looked quite comfortable, being part of two wins to begin this homestand, 2-1 over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday and 6-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday with the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on tap Saturday.
"It helps a lot," said Kaskimaki, who picked up his first NHL point, an assist on Justin Barron's first-period goal that made it 2-0. "(Suter's) a smart player."
Suter is not going to wow you in the dot as a 46.4 percent career face-off guy (50 percent so far this season), but he is going to hound you on the penalty kill, he will use his stick as a weapon defending, positionally and fundamentally sound off the puck, and when needed, he can be that net front presence on the power play if needed. And when the game is on the line, he will be out on the ice trusted in the most important sequences.
"It's a nice feeling," Suter said. "I feel like it's just a combination of what you think you're doing right and they give you that confirmation back that you're playing the right way. You're doing the smaller (and) right things. Then with time, you get the trust and obviously you always want to be out there and help the team. It's just a mindset of win the game, whatever that needs to be. I think that sums it up pretty much.
"I think for me, you do certain things that work out well, it goes well for you, the coaches trust you, you get more into games that way and I just stick with what's been working for me over my career. That just kind of channels into that. There's so many injuries or different situations. It's just whoever you go out with, you need to read off guys. It's a little bit of an adjustment sometimes and it takes a minute. But I've always been known that way.
"You get the trust to be thrown in some situations late in games up or down. I think that's why I'm also easy to come to a little bit. I'm just used to it. You do the best to help the team achieve in that moment to be successful."
A player that throughout his career, including stops with the Chicago Blackhawks , Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks before joining the Blues, has just played a simplistic game that never wavers or deviates from who he is, and that's a big reason why he's been able to earn trusted assignments and confidence in a coaching staff.
And it's why the Suter line with Kaskimaki and Stenberg has looked really strong here for two games.
"I think they just play and you tell them to stick to their game," Suter said of his young linemates. "I don't think you really have to do too much. They know what they're doing. It's just stick to what you do well. There's a reason you're here and you don't need to change yourself just because you're here. That's kind of the message itself. They know what they're doing.
"You try and make it as easy as possible for all your linemates. You do your best to try and find each other, and sometimes it takes a little longer to get adjusted to each other to kind of know where each guy's going, to read off each other sometimes. But I think it's been going well. You play, play hard, make sure you win your battles and then you try and make as easy as possible. Those guys have been around. They're not that nervous anymore."
The Blues seem to be building their roster with early-to-mid 20s players, but even at 30 and of course depending on where they're at in the standings later in the season, Suter would most certainly be worth bringing back because of his versatility and experience, not only in the NHL but in the international level playing for Switzerland, so pressure situations won't bother this player either. He's certainly been a worthy investment for the Blues and one worth considering keeping.
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