The Montreal Canadiens do have some bright spots on what has already been a battle for Atlantic Division relevancy. Those bright spots may not be a huge surprise given the head coach Martin St. Louis‘ style. Cole Caufield is currently tied for the league lead in goals with nine. Also, Mike Matheson is playing very well, and his nine assists through ten games is a testament to that fact. However, we are here to talk about the captain of the Canadiens, Nick Suzuki. Suzuki does want to lead his Canadiens squad to success, however, like many fellow countrymen, there is some personal incentive to favourable results early in this campaign. That individual success would mean a possible selection to the Team Canada roster for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Let’s take a look at Suzuki for his club and what the big picture could mean.
Nick Suzuki is the Habs Most Complete Player
One of the biggest contributions of Nick Suzuki to the Canadiens, is his work on their first line. Caufield’s success is a direct result of Suzuki’s complete 200-foot game and his ability to play hard on the puck. The duo, along with whoever the other talented winger on their flank is, plays with very good pace and can be difficult to contain for opposing defences. Despite the fact that their other linemate has oscillated as a result of the injury to Juraj Slafkovsky, Suzuki’s line remains successful. Kirby Dach has filled in admirably in Slafkovsky’s absence.
More on Suzuki’s individual play and one thing is that he always skates hard. Moreover, the fact that he is always on the puck and involved in the play, is impressive since he is often out there against the other teams’ best players. Suzuki really took a step in his game last year. He improved his career-best point totals by 11 to 77. Furthermore, he won 52.6% of his faceoffs and played over 21 minutes a game. He is now clearly established as one of the top, complete, two-way centres in the game. In addition, this is despite his average size, which makes him somewhat unassuming in such a demanding role. However, he is the same height as Sidney Crosby and outclasses him in weight by ten or more, depending on your source. He may not be listed as six-feet tall, but he sure is a force.
He Really Does Do It All
Suzuki really is an important piece to the Canadiens, or any lineup really. He plays in all situations, including top power play minutes and has long been a regular contributor to the Habs penalty kill. Additionally, he takes faceoffs in the defensive zone when needed, even though coach St. Louis would love to only use him in the offensive zone. Among forwards, he’s third on the team in offensive start zone percentage at 21.1% and fourth on the defensive side at 14.4%. So, just why do we think he is such a powerful candidate to make a Team Canada roster?
Question Time and Will Suzuki Make Team Canada?
Suzuki definitely has some intense competition to make Team Canada. The bottom-six forward group is a bit of a crap-shoot given the riches to choose from for the role. The fact that Suzuki is a centre and a two-way player, gives him a leg up on the competition. Often you will see these best-on-best rosters overloaded with centre-icemen, due to their aptitude and ability to also slot in on the wing. But who else will challenge Suzuki for a spot in the bottom six?
Mark Stone came into the season as a bit of an unknown. However, the only unknown for his case is his health. When healthy, he’s one of the hardest players in the game to take off the puck and a takeaway monster. He often finds himself in the top-20 league wide. Moreover, his torrent start currently tied for the lead in points with 18. That alone likely has him as a lock on the team.
Nick Suzuki of the Canadiens Looks Good Among Fellow Canadians
Mathew Barzal is a player who should also make the team on the bottom six. Given his talent and speed, he makes a great addition to this type of roster. However, his slow start with only five points through nine games might put that in question. Wyatt Johnston is a bit of a wild card. His body-of-work from last year’s playoffs, and his abilities to show up in big games and battle, make him a welcome member of such a lineup. But if it comes down to Suzuki or Johnston, you are likely selecting the former. Finally, one last name who is a very surprising member of the unknowns, is the league’s third-leading goal scorer (with 54) from last season. Zach Hyman only has one assist through ten games. Combined with the now uncertainty surrounding his Edmonton Oilers linemate, and quite possible Team Canada linemate as well, Connor McDavid, Hyman’s inclusion on the roster is far from certain. Analytically, Hyman has been very effective. He’s eighth in the NHL with 5.2 expected goals. But as we all well know, this is a results based business, and analytics go out the window, when the goals aren’t there.
The more this writer thinks about, the more and more Suzuki is looking like a favourable option for general manager Doug Armstrong when selecting Team Canada. Suzuki is a centre, can play all situations, and his 33 goals from last year, shows he’s no slouch offensively. At this point, having Suzuki on a fourth line with Mark Stone and Mark Scheifele seems a winning combination. We will put a couple quick honourable mentions as Dylan Guenther, if he stays hot, and someone who is very well situated as a winger for the role, Alexis Lafreniere.
One Final Note on a Canadiens Player
One final note is that Nick Suzuki isn’t the only Canadiens player to be considered for Team Canada. Given Sam Montembeault’s known effectiveness playing at the Bell Centre, where the tournament will be played, he puts himself in the conversation in goal. Team Canada is likely to go with the hot hand in net. If Montembeault can maintain consistency, he may make the team. Three games he has been above .930 SV%, one of those a 48-save shutout versus the Leafs. However, twice he has let in four or more, in less than 15 shots. He will need to prove himself to make such an exclusive squad. But rest assured Canadien fans, one player in Suzuki, is making a great case for the Canadian squad.
Main Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
