Welcome to the Hotstove! As always, I'm your host, Travis Yost.
With free agency just a couple of weeks away, attention is turning in the direction of two premier UFAs -- Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils, and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators.
Zach Parise -- fresh off of a thirty-one goal, thirty-eight assist season with the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils -- has made it quite clear that his intentions are to stay with the Devils long-term. At this point, there's no reason not to take Parise's words at face value; so long as New Jersey makes an offer of fair market value, it looks like he's staying in the Garden State.
Ryan Suter, a talented two-way defenseman who scored a career high forty-six points with the Nashville Predators in 2011-2012, has also had productive negotiations with his current club. However, he's not been nearly as public through the media with his intention to stay a la Zach Parise. Right now, it looks like Suter may entertain the idea of testing out free agency before making a decision.
The question: Should Ryan Suter entertain the possibility of hitting free agency and signing with another team, or is the best fit for him as a player in Nashville alongside fellow elite blue-liner Shea Weber?
Suter loves the city and has been responsible for the rise of the Predators in the Western Conference, and has carved out quite a niche over the past seven seasons. There's no question, though, that other teams will soon come knocking -- many believe the Detroit Red Wings are preparing a mega-deal to acquire Ryan Suter, and it's hard to imagine him not succeeding in that environment, either.
Detroit's just the tip of that iceberg, though. How many teams would have the interest -- and, cap room -- in a shutdown defender that can chip in these kinds of offensive numbers?
Answer: A lot.
If you're Ryan Suter, what do you do?
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