Nick Suzuki once again resembles the young centre that helped lead the Montreal Canadiens in scoring during their run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final and is prospering under the new concepts instituted by Canadiens interim head coach Martin St. Louis.
Suzuki notched a goal and two assists for a second straight game in the Canadiens’ 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. After surviving some of the darkest times the storied Canadiens organization has ever endured, Suzuki is once again realizing his potential under St. Louis. Suzuki grabbed a helper in St. Louis’ first game behind the bench and has never looked back with four goals and nine assists in eleven games playing for St. Louis. The determination to stick with it and battle through from this 22-year-old phenom has not gone unnoticed by veteran leaders like Brendan Gallagher.
“He’s dealing with a lot of things that a lot of young players don’t have to deal with at this time. Teams are paying a lot of attention to him and he’s still finding a way to have success” Gallagher said after snapping a 18-game scoreless stretch and finishing with a goal and an assist Saturday night.
The Return of “Slick Nick”
When Suzuki finished the 2020-2021 season with 41 points in 56 games, a pace of about 60 points in a full 82-game season, the expectation was that he would be even better this season. The Montreal Canadiens showed their faith that that would happen and signed they him to an eight-year, $7.875M AAV contract extension almost a full year before his entry-level contract was set to expire.
However, the loss of centers Phil Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi through free agency, the disappointing play of newcomer Christian Dvorak, and the plethora of injuries and covid cases set Suzuki’s and plenty of his younger teammates back in their trajectory for more than half the season. Despite all that adversity, the youngster has powered through and is now, while playing for St. Louis, he is back to the same offensive pace as last season (40 points in 56 games).
“As good as he is, I think Marty’s come in and understood there are areas where he could make him better, and I think we’re seeing him grow and grow. He’s such a smart player,” Gallagher said.
St. Louis concurred with Gallagher’s assessment but wasn’t going to take any credit away from Suzuki.
“He’s a very smart player, he’s a 200-foot player, plays with pace,” the Habs bench boss said Saturday night. “He knows when it’s time to go full speed and when to slow down. He’s very well aware of not only where the other team is on the ice, but also where his guys are.”
Complicity with Cole Caufield
Suzuki’s current trend of offensive production is likely to reassure many who had begun to sour on him as an eventual No. 1 centre, as the youngster. He leads the Montreal Canadiens in points and is emerging as the unquestioned offensive leader of the Montreal Canadiens. His offensive rise as of late has gone in stride with the reemergence of Cole Caufield as a key offensive weapon for the Habs.
The two youngsters, the offensive cornerstones of the Montreal Canadiens moving forward, found instant chemistry at the end of the 2020-2021 season, and then linked up again in the playoffs to form one of the deadliest duos in the league. For reasons still unknown to many, former head coach Dominic Ducharme decided to split this winning tandem up just three games into this season and never reunited them despite the plethora of injuries and poor play by the team.
Since being reunited by St. Louis, the two young guns have factored into more than 55% of the Montreal Canadiens offense and are now, along with Josh Anderson, one of the hottest lines in the NHL. Both Suzuki and Caufield have put up 12 points in their last eight games, and it’s no coincidence that St. Louis’s faith in and patience with Suzuki and Caufield has coincided with one of the best starts to a coaching career in recent memory.
Cornerstone Piece Moving Forward
With general manager Kent Hughes and executive vice president Jeff Gorton evaluating where the organization stands, they are are already in better shape than most rebuilding teams with a cornerstone player like Suzuki in their lineup. Suzuki has been playing like a bonafide No.1 centre under St. Louis, who has been unafraid to use his young centre for over 20 minutes a game on most nights and in all situations.
“He’s such a smart player, he has such a strong work ethic, and he’s going to continue to improve,” Gallagher added. “It’s good to see, he’s going to keep getting better. He’s not peaked yet,” said Gallagher on the potential growth of Suzuki moving forward.
Suzuki is back on track and that’s in large part to his mental toughness and faith from his new head coach.
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The … More about Marc Dumont
