When Nick Suzuki was appointed captain of the Montreal Canadiens before the 2022-23 season, many wondered if he was ready to take on such a responsibility. Nearly two years later there is no doubt that he was, and the Canadiens are more than ever his team now. He leads by example on and off the ice and speaks up when needed. His importance to this team was once again very obvious in what was his best season to date. Let’s look at three defining moments from it.
Suzuki Initiated Juraj Slavkovsky’s Arrival on the First Line
Suzuki is a leader, there’s no two ways about it, he does everything the way a hockey player should do things to succeed. That includes having good communication with the head coach, Martin St. Louis. In early April, Stu Cowan reported in The Gazette:
But Suzuki isn’t afraid to make his voice heard. On Hockey Night in Canada last Saturday, former NHL player Kevin Bieksa said that Suzuki went to head coach Martin St. Louis back in November and said he wanted Juraj Slafkovsky to play on his line with Cole Caufield because he felt he could help the No. 1 overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft after a slow start to his season.
(from “Canadiens’ Suzuki Has Played Key Role in Slafkovsky’s Emergence”, The Gazette, April 10, 2024)
It takes guts to go up to your coach and tell him about your opinion on the lines, especially if the opinion is unsolicited, and yet, Suzuki went ahead and did it, thankfully. The newly formed first line was the perfect example for everyone in the lineup. Not only were they the main offensive dynamo, but they were also fully engaged when they didn’t have the puck. Each was dedicated to becoming the best hockey player they could be. All following the captain’s lead.
Suzuki Joined the 100-Goal Club
Suzuki played his fifth season in the NHL in 2023-24 and reached a new milestone, the 100-goal mark. What’s great about the first-line center is that as he evolves into a more complete player, he is refining his play and becoming a better goal-scorer. In his first NHL season, he pocketed 13 goals, 15 in his second, 21 in his third, 26 in the fourth, and 33 last season. It was playing against the Nashville Predators on March 5 that Suzuki scored his 100th goal and it took him 353 games to do so.
His goal-scoring pace went up in the last two seasons because the quality of his wingers has also improved. Case in point; Caufield; the small winger became a better passer this season, he didn’t always go for the shot and often found Suzuki in the right spot. This also made the Canadiens’ power play a lot less predictable.
Related: Montreal Canadiens: Habs Set To Hit It Big in 2023-2024
On his other wing, as the season passed, Juraj Slafkovsky improved by leaps and bounds, and it seemed like the game slowed down for him. When he received the puck, he didn’t feel like he had a timebomb in his hands. He took the time to look up and assess the situation, choosing the best option.
I doubt it will take Suzuki another 353 games to reach the 200-goal mark. As the Canadiens’ rebuild goes forward, Montreal’s power play should become much more potent. If Lane Hutson’s game translates well to the NHL, it’s hard not to imagine the mobile defenseman dancing along the blue line and finding the opportunities to set up his linemates.
Suzuki Won His Third Molson Cup
Each year, the Molson Cup is awarded to the player who was the most remarkable throughout the season on the Canadian teams. After each game, three stars are selected and it’s through those three-star selections that players are awarded points toward the Molson Cup. In 2023-24, and for a third year in a row, the captain won the Molson Cup with the Canadiens. He’s still a long way from Guy Lafleur’s six Molson Cups in a row, but he’s catching up to Carey Price’s five and Jose Theodore’s four. Price has, however, won a total of nine Molson Cups in his 15 seasons with the team. Considering Price was seriously injured in three of the remaining seasons, there are only three in which he played but didn’t win.
At 24 years old, the path to many more Molson Cups is wide open in front of Suzuki, but if Kent Hughes succeeds in his rebuild, there should be plenty of competition for their obtention. Pieces are already starting to fit in nicely in Montreal with a solid first line, another quality center in Kirby Dach, Hutson is knocking at the NHL’s door, and Kaiden Guhle was named player of the game for Team Canada at the World Championship on Tuesday (May 14).
For so many years, this trophy could have been named the “Carey Price Cup”, but those were the days the Canadiens were riding Price’s coattails praying and hoping their goaltender would somehow carry them to the playoffs and win a Stanley Cup even though there was no one to score goals.
For Suzuki, the latest season was an unmitigated success on the individual front, setting new personal bests for goals, assists, and points. Of course, the ultimate goal remains to win the Stanley Cup, but in the meantime, there’s no harm in becoming a more complete player who challenges himself to improve at both ends of the ice.