Montreal Canadiens: Is Nick Suzuki in the same boat as Alex Galchenyuk?
By Omar L
Nick Suzuki is a prospect the Habs are dying to get in the professional realm of hockey. He put up 94 points in 59 games between the Owen Sound Attack and Guelph Storm along with a trip to the World Junior Hockey Championships for Team Canada.
Suzuki really took off in the playoffs helping Guelph win the J. Ross Robertson Cup. He led the league in playoff scoring with 16 goals and 26 assists in 24 games and was recognized as the playoff MVP. Speaking of his production, Suzuki’s 42-point performance is tied for eighth in most points in a single OHL playoff sitting only two behind Mitch Marner back in 2016.
The Guelph Storm came up short in the Memorial Cup, but Suzuki still had his moments to shine finishing second in the tournament with seven points.
He has the speed, the skating, the hands, and the awareness to excel in the NHL and it’ll be interesting to see what he does next season. The only “issue” is the start of the debates that made Galchenyuk’s career with the Montreal Canadiens so exhausting:
Is Nick Suzuki an NHL centre or is he better off on the wing?
Right now, it’s split with many having confidence in Suzuki being able to play either position. Marc Bergevin hasn’t committed to a certain spot for Suzuki either saying it would only add depth to their system if he ended up making it there.
#Habs Bergevin will not commit to saying Suzuki will be a centre, but says it would add depth if Suzuki can add to the mix with Kotkaniemi and Poehling at that position.
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNWpg) September 10, 2018
A centre line of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Ryan Poehling, and Suzuki (regardless of the order) would be pretty sturdy down the line. There was a time when the Habs had nothing at the centre position, and to see how things are only speak to what drafting, developing, and good trades can do for an organization.
That said, whether Suzuki plays centre or not will depend on a number of things starting with where he plays.