NHL Entry Draft and free agent frenzy completed, the dog days of summer wear on as NHL management groups take a bit of a breather before the training camps begin. In this series, I will try to investigate every Montreal Canadiens roster player, recap their last season and look ahead to this upcoming season. I will look at their place in the organization, their role and their possible impact.
Related: Montreal Canadiens: 3 Burning Questions Heading Into 2025-26 Season
In the next step of the series, I will move on to looking at the Canadiens’ forward group, starting with Nick Suzuki.
2024-25 Season Recap
Every season, Suzuki has improved. Every. Season.
And the 2024-25 season was no different. Suzuki had a breakout year; the last season saw him post 30 goals and 59 assists (career high) for 89 points, and nine of his goals were game-winners, leading the team in that category. This means he has become the highest-scoring Canadiens’ player in a single season to this point in the 21st century. He is also the first point-per-game player since Alex Kovalev had 84 points in the 2007-08 season. For the fourth straight season, the London, ON native played in all 82 games, extending his ironman streak to 455 games. The 25-year-old reached the 200-assist, 300-point and 400-game milestones over the course of the year. Suzuki’s snub from the 4 Nations Face-Off was a conversation point for the fans and media alike, but it may have been the jet fuel that fired his season up. But it gave him an opportunity to rest and recover from any bumps and bruises to come out of the gate flying.
A big reason for Montreal’s turnaround this season was the dynamic play and leadership of Suzuki, especially after the 4 Nations Face-Off. In Montreal’s 26 games after the NHL season resumed following the tournament, the London, Ontario native recorded 37 points. The Canadiens’ earning their first playoff berth since 2021 can be directly attributed to the captain. In a meeting with general manager (GM) Kent Hughes, Suzuki asked that the Canadiens not be a seller. Hughes challenged him to do what needed to be done before the deadline and get the team into a playoff position after the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“It’s on your shoulders, but don’t come here to tell me not to make any trades if you aren’t doing what you need to do. And they won five straight games after that conversation, and I think Nick recorded 13…
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