"General Manager David Poile said contract negotiations with defenseman Ryan Suter are ongoing and he hoped to re-sign his star defenseman at some point. He just didn't know when.

Last week at the All-Star Game, Suter said he didn't believe he would re-sign with Nashville before the Feb. 27 trading deadline.

Poile said he met with Suter's agent, Neil Sheehy, before Tuesday's game at Minnesota. Sheehy is based in the Twin Cities area. If the Predators and Suter don't come to terms before July 1, the defenseman will be an unrestricted free agent.

"It's just ongoing, it's the same situation," Poile said. "Everything is being said the way you want a player to say it and the way you want a negotiation to go, except for the final commitment. It's almost like we're having a good time together, but we haven't decided to get married yet.""