The Detroit Red Wings' chances of landing coveted defenseman Ryan Suter seem to be improving by the day.

Today, Nashville Predators general manager David Poile told reporters that he believes Suter will explore the free-agent market on July 1, though he hasn't abandoned hope of re-signing him.

"Unless something changes in the near future, he's going to take a peek at July 1," Poile was quoted as saying in the Tennessean. "We're going to be in consistent contact with him, and I'm certainly hoping, as he said to me a week ago, that he's not going to make a sudden decision … and we're going to have some conversations after he has talked to these different teams."

Poile was on a conference call after trading backup goaltender Anders Lindback to Tampa Bay.

Poile also said he is unlikely to trade Suter's negotiating rights.

“We’ve never entertained any offers for him,” Poile said. “He has never said he doesn’t want to play for us. He just said he wants to take a look.”

Suter, 27, is the Red Wings' No. 1 free-agent target.

On Thursday, a report by CSNPhilly cited a source as saying Suter is not interested in playing for the Philadelphia Flyers or any other Eastern Conference team. It stated that Detroit is "conceded to be Suter's top choice.''



Suter, who earned $3.5 million this past season, likely will sign a long-term deal worth between $6 million and $7 million a season.

The Red Wings should have roughly $20 million in salary cap space on July 1 and will be aggressively pursuing Suter and New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise, if they hit the market.

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