Blackhawks: Pius Suter has truly just begun his path to greatness

Pius Suter did not have the flashiest season, but he was one of the best players the Chicago Blackhawks could have asked for in 2020-21.

Pius Suter was one of the best signings this past off-season, and after one season in the league, he is truly just beginning his path to greatness. The Chicago Blackhawks need forwards like him on their team.

Suter was a part of the Blackhawks power play, he spent time killing penalties, only David Kampf won more faceoffs than him, and he blocked the most shots out of any forward. While Suter might have been compared to Dominik Kubalik when he first joined the Blackhawks, he is a lot more than just a goal scorer.

Pius Suter is one of the forwards that benefitted the most from Toews and Dach missing the majority of the year. He showed what he is worth and left the season as arguably the best center to head up the third line moving forward. He is reliable and can be used in any situation.

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Suter was fourth on the team in points this season with 27 points including 14 goals. The team used him on so many different lines, including playing alongside Patrick Kane for a big chunk of the season.

Next year with Kirby Dach and hopefully Jonathan Toews back to full strength, the Hawks can use Suter as their third-line center, assuming he re-signs with the organization. With Suter as their third-line guy, the team will be able to roll three centers and then have Kampf as the reliable fourth-liner. With Suter on the third line, he won’t be going against other teams’ best guys and might be able to catch teams off guard in their own end.

Yes, that leaves Philipp Kurashev open, but personally, I think he might be better suited on the wing at least until he is a little older and more improved. Alex DeBrincat had one of the best offensive seasons, and Brandon Hagel was the player that shocked the fanbase, but for Suter, his reliable play is something that should leave a mark on Blackhawks fans. Even when he was not scoring goals he was effective in his own end and helping to make the team better.

Suter is also smart with his shots, as he leads the team with his percentage of shot attempts that went on net 71.8 percent of his shot attempts went on the net, the closest other player that played at least ten games was Janmark at 69.9.

Shooting the puck is great, but making sure it is on net and giving the team a chance to score is even better. While I was a little hesitant of Kubalik after his first season just because he was going to demand a lot of money due to his 30 goal season, I am in on Suter as he could be a big part of this team in the future.