Sticking at it: Meet the journeymen still chasing a first NHL Championship

Ryan Suter

No active player has played more games in this league without a championship than Suter, a dependable defenseman in Nashville, then at Minnesota and, now, Dallas. His 40th birthday is in January. Unlike Pavelski, he is signed through next season.

Maybe the difference for Suter, who averages about 19 minutes per game, will be DeBoer, who is looking to take a third organization to the final and win it for the first time. It doesn't hurt to have young teammates like Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell leading the way on the blue line, and the addition of trade deadline pickup Chris Tanev, to allow Suter to play his best when the situations arise.

"Chris Tanev is a fantastic defenseman, and that has allowed Suter to play fewer minutes, meaning he's going to be more effective," former player and now ESPN analyst, Ray Ferraro, said.