Canucks Are Really Missing Pius Suter This Season
Shortly after Filip Chytil was acquired from the New York Rangers in the trade for JT Miller, he went down with a concussion and ended up missing the rest of the season. Then,
Suter finished the season with a career-high 25 goals and 46 points, and for some reason, the Canucks felt the Swiss Army knife wasn’t essential enough to re-sign in the offseason
Suter’s 2024-25 Season Doesn’t Appear to Be a Flash in the Pan
Re-signing Suter to a lucrative contract was always going to be a gamble after his career-best season across the board. While he was remarkably consistent, hitting 14 or 15 goals every season since his debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020-21, no one confused him for a top-six centre
Well, fast-forward 19 games into the 2025-26 season, and Suter is seemingly proving that it wasn’t. While his ice time has dropped back down to his career average, he’s still producing at a high rate, along with being his usual elite two-way self. He’s tied for second on the Blues in goals with five, and tied for fourth in points with 10. He’s also their top option on the penalty kill, leading all forwards in shorthanded ice time with an average of 1:24 per game. Basically, he’s doing everything he did last season, just in the Blue Note instead of the Orca, something I’m sure general manager Patrik Allvin is regretting right now.
Canucks Missing Suter on the PK
Last season, the Canucks’ penalty kill was one of their strengths, finishing third in the NHL at 82.6 percent. The duo that led the way in shorthanded ice time were Suter and Blueger at 185:24 (2:17 per game) and 172:50 (2:06 per game), respectively. This season, they are dead last at a lowly 66.1 percent, a drop of 16.5 percentage points. While two players don’t make a successful penalty kill, the fact that Blueger has only played two games and 5:45 on the PK and Suter is no longer on the roster, and the Canucks are languishing in the basement 19 games into the season, is no coincidence.
Suter and Blueger were one of the best penalty-killing duos in the league last season, and Canucks management should have considered that when deciding whether to bring Suter back or not. Not having it as an option this season has really hurt their PK and might be why they miss the playoffs. Suter’s penalty-killing skills alone should have been worth the money he got in free agency.
Canucks Could Really Use Suter in the Top 6 Right Now
Before signing David Kampf to a one-year contract on Saturday, the Canucks’ centre depth included Pettersson, Lukas Reichel (who’s not a natural centre), Raty, and Sasson. With Blueger and Chytil injured, it was one of the thinnest groups in the NHL. While Kampf will help the bottom-six and penalty kill, he isn’t much of a scorer and likely won’t move the needle offensively.
Even if Suter were still on the roster, the Canucks probably would have signed Kampf anyway, but their top six would have looked much better. Suter is still producing like a top-six forward in St. Louis and playing the role of second-line centre, something Allvin has been looking for on the trade market all season. The thing is, he had one in his grasp before Suter hit the free agent market on July 1.
While president Jim Rutherford revealed in a recent interview that Suter wanted to come back, the term and money apparently weren’t enough for him to turn down the Blues’ offer. He cited “miscommunication on term,” saying they were willing to go beyond the two years he got in St. Louis, but that “it didn’t work out.”
Regardless, Allvin and Rutherford should have made him a priority before another team could offer him anything. They had control over negotiations way before July 1, but seemingly didn’t feel he was valuable enough to really dig in and get something done. So far this season, that has turned into a massive misstep on their part.
Canucks Hope Kampf Can Help Fill Suter’s Shoes
As mentioned, Kampf should help fill the void Suter left on the PK and defensively, but not in the goals and points department. His career high is 11 goals, set in 2021-22, and that was the only season he has hit double digits. His production is comparable to Blueger’s – bottom-six numbers. Other than that, though, Kampf is pretty much like Suter, a versatile Swiss Army knife that is good defensively with a high hockey IQ and work ethic. Who knows, he might surprise us and do more offensively than we think.
However, that doesn’t negate the fact that the Canucks made a mistake not re-signing Suter. With him in the lineup – even with all the injuries – they might be well above .500, given his ability to kill penalties and generate offence. The struggling penalty kill has been a reason for a lot of losses this season already, and the Canucks underestimated how valuable he was, not only to the PK, but to the rest of the team as well.
“$135 Million? KEEP IT!” Maxx Crosby Breaks the Mold, Pledges His Future to the Raiders — “I Ride or Die With the Shield!”
In an age of blockbuster contracts and franchise-hopping superstars,
The Las Vegas Raiders’ dominant defensive end shocked the football universe this week when he reportedly
rejected a massive $135 million offer from both the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets — a deal that would’ve made him the highest-paid pass rusher in league history. Instead, Crosby doubled down on his commitment to the Silver and Black, sending shockwaves across sports media.
Standing tall at a packed press conference, with his trademark intensity burning in his eyes, Crosby didn’t hesitate:
“The Raider Shield means something bigger than money. I’m not chasing a paycheck. I’m building a legacy.”
It was the moment that broke the internet. Within minutes, hashtags like #MadMaxLoyalty, #RideWithTheShield, and #CrosbyForever were trending from Vegas to London. Raiders fans flooded social media, praising the move as an all-time franchise moment.
Former Raiders legend Howie Long chimed in on X:
“Maxx just showed what it means to be a Raider. Grit. Loyalty. Soul. This is special — and rare.”
The Offers He Said No To
Insiders confirm that the 49ers' offer included record-breaking guarantees, while the Jets pitched a vision of pairing Crosby with Quinnen Williams to become the league’s most feared defensive duo. But for Maxx Crosby, it wasn’t even close.
“You can’t put a price on what it means to play for a team that believed in you when the world doubted you. Vegas is home. The Raider family is forever,” Crosby said.
This wasn’t just a business decision — it was a message. To the league, to the city, and to every fan in the Black Hole.
A Letter to Raider Nation
Owner Mark Davis didn’t hide his pride:
“Maxx Crosby is everything the Raiders stand for — toughness, passion, and heart. He’s not just a cornerstone of our defense — he’s a cornerstone of our culture.”
Behind the scenes, Davis and GM Tom Telesco reportedly countered with a new loyalty-focused deal for Crosby — one that includes leadership incentives, organizational input, and a lifelong role with the franchise.
As ESPN’s Mina Kimes put it:
“This is more than a contract. This is a vow. Crosby just became the spiritual heartbeat of the Raiders.”
Critics Can’t Believe It
Not everyone agreed with the decision. NFL exec and analyst Louis Riddick warned:
“He just turned down generational wealth. You hope Vegas protects him — because injuries don’t care about loyalty.”
But among Crosby’s teammates, it was pure respect.
“Mad Max been a dog since day one,”
said Davante Adams. “He’s not chasing status — he IS status. He’s the Raider standard.”
Fan Reaction: Pure Pandemonium
Las Vegas lit up. Crosby jerseys sold out nationwide. Fans posted clips of themselves burning fake 49ers and Jets offers while chanting: “Maxx! Maxx! Maxx!”
One daring supporter even skydived off a desert cliff with a giant Raiders flag and shouted mid-air:
“Loyalty lives in the desert!”
It got 4 million views in under an hour.
A Legacy Built on Grit
Maxx Crosby’s decision isn’t just the story of the offseason — it’s a defining moment in modern NFL loyalty. In a sport where the next payday often replaces the last hometown cheer, Crosby bucked the system.
“I don’t play to get rich. I play to be remembered,” he said.
“Give me a ring in black and silver over all the gold in the world.”
And now, the Raiders aren’t just keeping a star.
They’ve secured a legend.
Lions Coach Erupts After Controversial Loss to Eagles: “This Wasn’t Football — This Was the NFL Protecting the Wrong Team.”
The aftermath of the Detroit Lions’ dramatic and frustrating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles took a fiery turn on Sunday night, as the Lions’ head coach unleashed one of the most explosive and emotional postgame statements the NFL has seen all season. His words, delivered with raw intensity, were not simply a critique of a single play — but a full-scale indictment of what he called a “broken standard” within the league.
The controversy stemmed from a late-game hit that the coach described as “deliberate, intentional, and completely outside the rules.” According to him, the play crossed every line of sportsmanship the NFL claims to uphold.
“In all my years of coaching, I’ve never seen anything this blatant,” he said, visibly furious. “There’s a difference between going for the ball and going for the man. That wasn’t a football play — that was intent.”
He pointed to what happened immediately after the hit as undeniable evidence: the “words, the smirks, the attitude” from the opposing player. Though he refused to mention names, he made it clear that everyone in the locker room knew exactly who he meant.
But the coach’s frustration went far deeper than one incident. He accused the league of inconsistent officiating, claiming certain teams enjoy an invisible layer of protection while others — like the Lions — are penalized harshly for even the smallest infraction.
“We are tired of these invisible lines,” he continued. “Week after week, dirty hits get brushed off as ‘incidental contact’ while we get punished for everything. You talk about integrity and fairness, but what we’re seeing is the opposite.”
By this point, his tone shifted from anger to pure disappointment — disappointment in what he believes the NFL is becoming.
“If this is what football has become — if your so-called standards are just a polished façade — then you’ve betrayed this sport,” he said. “And I will not stand by and watch my team battle under pressure while being forced to endure rules you don’t have the courage to enforce.”
The coach’s comments instantly detonated across social media, sparking a fierce debate among fans, analysts, and former players. Some praised him for speaking truth to power, calling him “the only coach brave enough to say what others whisper behind closed doors.” Others accused him of deflecting blame from his team’s mistakes and fanning unnecessary flames.
As the NFL prepares to review the game film, one thing is certain: this controversy will not fade quietly. With Detroit fighting to secure playoff positioning and tensions running high, the league may soon find itself under even brighter scrutiny.
And for the Lions, this moment could become a rallying cry — or the spark that ignites a larger battle over the NFL’s integrity.
