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…
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