There was only one season when they were both in Nashville when Weber had more TOI/GM than Suter. So Trotz knew what was what. And as soon as Suter left he started getting way more Norris votes when voters realized surprise surprise it wasn't the Rob Blake clone doing the carrying.
They were for the most part playing together. I think Trotz knew like the rest of us except you who was the more dangerous defenseman of the two. Also his GM. You would think some of the reason is because Suter was entering his prime, thus playing better and being signed as the nr 1 guy in Minnesota.
Weber was 9 times in the top 10 of Norris votes
5 times in top 5, 4 of those times in top 3 with 2 of those being 2nd.
He was 9 times in the top 10 for All Star votes. 5 of those times in the top 5 for All Star votes.
4 times voted into the All Star teams, 2 in the 1st team, 2 in the 2nd team.
Weber earned $4.5M per season on his second contract with Nashville.
Weber earned $7.5M per season on his third contract with Nashville (while Suter made $3.5M, that being said it was through arbitration award, but still agreed to which NSH was pretty stingy then with contract amounts as they offered $4.75M and Weber demanded $8.5M, he became the highest paid D-man in the league at the time as well given he was 2nd in Norris votes that year).
Weber earned $7.8M per season on his 4th and long term contract with Nashville (Which was an offer sheet by Philadelphia that was signed).
Weber still have that contract for two more seasons at that amount.
And we could add he won basically everything he could win besides the Stanley Cup.
U20 World Championship, World Championship, 2x Olympics (and on Olympics All Star team and WC All Star team)
2 x WHL Champion and Memorial Cup Champion.
Suter was 6 times in the top 10 of Norris votes
3 times in the top 5, of which 1 was a podium finish of 2nd.
He was 7 times in the top 10 for All Star votes. 3 of those times in the top 5 for All Star votes
1 time voted into the All Star teams, with the 1 time in the 1st team.
Suter earned $3.5M on his second contract with Nashville.
Suter had to go to the open market to get $7.5M and left Nashville (That being said they didn't get the chance to match, idk given the cap and contract situations at the time they would, there is no indications they would offered him the same contract as they reported to have offered $7M x 13 as they finally understood they had to pay beyond trying to make money of budget restrictions).
Suter was bought out of that contract with Minnesota and then bought out of his contract this summer with Dallas and earning minimum wage this year.
Suter has won U18 and U20 World Championships and a silver at the World Championships.
Just to add to it, NSH was spending little on purpose as they were a budget team who were trying to my understanding stay below the middle between cap ceiling and cap floor.
One thing we have to understand is that GMs have to answer to an owner and their fan base.
Sure you could run a team like a video game and sign no middling guys, rank for the top pick every year and then sign all the top FAs.
Reality is you have to compete enough to drive ticket sales, show enough that you get to see the end of the rebuild, and keep improving.
The only teams making huge jumps have lottery luck go their way.
Many of us don't like the Copp, Husso, Holl, etc signings, but none of them lie in a potential cup window. They are buying time, grooming the young guys, and keeping this team competitive.
Finally someone who gets it.
They have to some degree sign players not only to reach the cap floor and stay above that, but to have reasonably competitive players. Copp has performed a bit below par, we all expected more of him (or some expected not so much but states he is overpaid by much) as he was always going to be overpaid in some way, but would be nice if he performed closed to earning the cap hit amount.
2024 we needed an upgrade after losing Ghost and got Gustafsson. That is not very good.
Idk, advanced stats have him as the 2nd best line/pair in hockey with Fox.
Put him with Seider and see how it goes, think the signing is decent and could be underrated.
NHL Lines Advanced Stats
Combinations exist that would allow ChiaPet to just be a sheltered 3rd pairing. But the staff is too chickenshit to go for it. They'd rather ride or die with Chiarot and Petry in the top 4.
Think it goes a bit to what Scottgaf1 mentions, Chiarot got a sizeable contract and thus is expected to be in the top 4 and of course everyone expected him to perform better than he has. Of individual contracts that might be the most underperforming one so far, and he would always be a little overpaid in the first place. I do agree that given the situation, unless he picks up Yzerman could do what he need to get him off the roster in some way if others perform, or even play him sheltered. Though playing a "higher paid" player sheltered minutes doesn't always go well with of course the players and sometimes the teammates depending on his status in the dressing room.
