Suter, 34 (1/21/85), has tallied 46 points (7-39=46) in 77 games with the Wild this season and leads the NHL in TOI/game at 26:52. He skated a season-high 32:36 at Montreal on Jan. 7, the highest ice time by a NHL player in a regulation game this season. Suter ranks 12th in assists and 13th in scoring amongst NHL defensemen this season. He leads the Wild in assists and multi-point games (12), ranks third in PPP (15), fourth in scoring and fifth in blocked shots this season.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound native of Madison, Wisc., suffered a fracture in his right ankle in a game at Dallas on March 31, 2018 and missed the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs after undergoing surgery on April 5, 2018. Despite the injury, Suter has not missed a game this season. The all-time leading scorer in franchise history by a defenseman tallied his 300th point with Minnesota on March 17 vs. the New York Islanders to become the seventh player in franchise history to reach the milestone. Suter skated in his 1,000th game vs. Los Angeles on Oct. 25, 2018, and recorded the game-winning goal and an assist at Dallas on Oct. 19, 2018 to register his 500th career point to become the third active and 51st defenseman in NHL history to play in 1,000 games and record 500 points.
He has recorded 539 points (82-457=539), a plus-107 rating, 641 penalty minutes (PIM) and averaged 25:13 in TOI/game in 1,068 career NHL contests with Nashville and Minnesota. Suter ranks second amongst active NHL defensemen in assists, third in TOI, fifth in scoring, sixth in games played and seventh in PPP. He leads the NHL in minutes played and TOI/game (26:48) amongst active players since the start of the 2008-09 season. Suter ranks second in franchise history in assists and plus/minus rating, third in blocked shots, fifth in games played and PPP, seventh in scoring and eighth in hits.
The winner of the Masterton Trophy is selected by a poll among the 31 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season. NHL writers first presented the trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, as a result of head injuries suffered during a game.
Matt Cullen (2017-18), Eric Staal (2016-17), Nate Prosser (2015-16), Devan Dubnyk (2014-15), Josh Harding (2013-14, 2012-13), Clayton Stoner (2011-12), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (2010-11), Guillaume Latendresse (2009-10), Kurtis Foster (2008-09), Aaron Voros (2007-08), Marian Gaborik (2006-07), Wes Walz (2005-06, 2000-01), Alexandre Daigle (2003-04), Dwayne Roloson (2002-03) and Richard Park (2001-02) were previously nominated for the award. Harding was named the 2013 recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on June 14, 2013, to become the first player in Wild history to win a voted-on NHL Award. Dubnyk was also named the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on June 24, 2015.
Minnesota plays at the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 9 p.m. CT on FOX Sports North Plus and KFAN 100.3 F.M.
