Ryan Suter Rumors: Defenseman Reportedly Leaning Toward Red Wings

The courting of free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter is reportedly nearing an end.

According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, the 27-year-old All-Star is leaning toward joining the Detroit Red Wings.

"

#NHL. Starting to hear Suter has picked #Redwings as his destination.More to come.....

— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) July 1, 2012"

Kypreos elaborated on his original tweet by adding the following information:

"

Nothing confirmed as it appears Suter will won't make anything official till 2morrow but some oninside say he's leaned toward #Redwings

— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) July 1, 2012"

Clearly the specifics aren't known, but the Detroit Red Wings wasted no time in putting their best foot forward to acquire the unrestricted free agent on the first day of NHL free agency.

The prospective addition of Suter gives the Red Wings a power-play quarterback, not to mention one of the best defensemen in the league.

Suter notched 46 points for the Nashville Predators in his seventh NHL season, scoring seven goals and registering 39 assists. He finished tied for sixth among defensemen in assists, which is where his value will come into play for the Red Wings.

The Madison, Wisc. native finished fourth in the entire league in power-play assists, an area where the Red Wings could definitely use his help. Mike Babcock's team scored on just 16.1 percent of its power plays in 2011-2012, good for 22nd in the league.

Detroit finished fifth in the Western Conference, but lost to the fourth-seeded Predators in five games. Suter wasn't much of a factor in that series, but posted four points in the Predators' five-game series loss to the Phoenix Coyotes.

Stay tuned for more information on the situation.