Suter is by far the best defenseman on the Wild, without looking it up I'd have a hardtime naming any other defenseman on that team but I do know, that they have a very promising young rookie named Brodhin. People also have to keep in mind that Suter has never been that sexy, flashy offensive defenseman he is an elite stay at home defender.
Up to this season Weber always had thte assurance of Suter staying back, so he could play a more offensive type of game but now he is paired with a guy, who is playing his second NHL season, so Weber has to be more defensive responsible I think that's the reason, why his point totals are down.
These two just completemented each other perfectly so I am not surprised they aren't that dominate, but keep in mind stats aren't always telling the whole story. Suter also has to adopt to a new coach,. system including all the pressure of being the #1 defenseman on the team.
I live in Minnesota. Suter has been awful and the Wild fans know it, but I think they're trying to be patient with it based on his track record. It's not like Suter was total garbage on the U.S. Olympic team, I thought he was quite good.
The Wild have a rookie, Jonas Brodin, who looks like a stud. He's decent-sized, skilled with the puck, and already playing 21 minutes a night, almost by default.
Tom Gilbert was acquired in a trade for fan favorite Nick Schultz last year that stunned everyone, and Gilbert has been a better fit with this year's more skilled set of forwards.
Zach Parise has actually been as good or better than advertised. As long as he stays healthy, his leadership and work rate are going to keep up his effectiveness, even if the scoring dries up now and then. Plus, he's the local guy who came home, so the Minnesotans love him for that anyway.
But the shocking reality for the Wild is that they're more than a decade in and they've arguably never had a shutdown "Top 2" defenseman in franchise history. They had Brent Burns, but he was more interesting for his offensive rushes and willingness to ignore Lemaire's trap system. Other guys, like Cam Barker, were supposed to anchor the D unit, and completely flamed out. So there has to be some concern that Suter isn't the guy they thought he was, but I'm sure he'll turn it around over time.