The Chicago Blackhawks Are Saying Goodbye To This Young Center

The Chicago Blackhawks did not send center Pius Suter a qualifying offer. He will be an unrestricted free agent starting Wednesday.

Georges represents Pius Suter...not qualified by CHI https://t.co/ka7hPYK3lX
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 26, 2021

It is incredibly surprising that they did not qualify him. The 25-year-old played his first NHL season this year and made their second-line in the process. In 55 games, he had 14 goals and 27 points, while easily exceeding previous expectations. Given the fact that he had a good season and is still quite young, there should be plenty of interest in him.

The Blackhawks are expected to get Jonathan Toews back, but even if so, it would have been smart to keep Suter around for insurance. He was a restricted free agent and under team control, so they could have managed to get a deal done in time.

Now, there is another interesting option at center via free agency. Suter can be a nice addition to a team's middle-six and works well on the power play. Overall, this is a real head-scratcher by the Blackhawks.