Jul. 28—A few years after shattering his ankle along the boards at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, veteran defenseman Ryan Suter will call that building home.

Yes, after being blindsided earlier this month when Wild general manager Bill Guerin called to inform him of his buyout, the 36-year-old Suter has decided to continue his career with a division rival. He signed a 4-year, $14.6 million contract with the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, turning the page after a sour ending to his long and mostly successful tenure with the Wild.

Suter's longtime teammate with the Wild, forward Zach Parise, whose contract also was bought out, is expected to join the New York Islanders but had not signed a contract as of early evening.

While his ice time with the Wild decreased over the past couple of seasons, there's no doubt Suter can still contribute at a high level. He played 56 games for the Wild last season, skating exclusively on the top pairing with captain Jared Spurgeon.

"He has a huge influence on the game with his ability to diffuse plays, which injects a sense of calmness into his teammates," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a release, noting that Suter will play a significant role on the blue line. "He is able to play in every situation, and as a veteran of 16 NHL seasons, his wealth of experience will be a great addition to our dressing room."

Since entering the NHL with the Nashville Predators in 2005, Suter leads defensemen across the league with 1,198 games played. He has 607 points (93 goals, 514 assists) for his career, the bulk of them with the Wild.

It's worth noting that the Wild play host to the Stars on Nov. 18 at the Xcel Energy Center. No doubt Suter will be fired up for that one.

LOSING IAN COLE

Talking to Guerin over the weekend, it seemed las if he had come to grips with the fact that he might lose veteran defenseman Ian Cole in free agency. And that's exactly what happened Wednesday when Cole signed a 1-year, $2.9 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.

"We had great dialogue with Ian up until the end when he signed in Carolina," Guerin said. "Like I said before, I've got tons of respect for Ian. He's a great guy and a great teammate. I wish it could've worked out here for him. But sometimes it's a timing thing. He's going to be a great addition to that team."

MENELL TRADED

Less than an hour before free agency opened Wednesday, the Wild traded the rights to defenseman Brennan Menell to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a conditional seventh-round pick in next year's draft. If the 24-year-old Menell plays at least 30 games for the Maple Leafs next season, the Wild get to keep the draft pick.

"He needs a change," Guerin said. "Just wasn't a fit anymore, and we're not into holding guys back. It's good for him that he got a change."

MINOR LEAGUE ADDITIONS

Aside from adding defenseman Alex Goligoski and center Frederick Gaudreau to the NHL roster, the Wild also filled out their AHL roster with the signings of defenseman Joe Hicketts, defenseman Jon Lizotte and center Dominic Turgeon.