Nick Suzuki and Cale Fleury take NHL stage for the Montreal Canadiens
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens start their year with Nick Suzuki, and Cale Fleury in the lineup against the Carolina Hurricanes as the journey to the playoffs begins.
It’s been six months since the Montreal Canadiens played their last NHL game, and this day couldn’t have come soon enough. The 2019-20 regular season is here, and the Habs will want to get their year off on the right foot with the Carolina Hurricanes barring down on them from the other end of the ice.
For the most part, the roster is the same as last year’s but with two key changes. That, of course, is Nick Suzuki and Cale Fleury, who worked their way onto the Montreal Canadiens out of camp. It’ll be an even more special debut for the Fleury family as his brother Haydn Fleury is on the opening night roster for the Hurricanes.
Suzuki’s path has been an exciting one. He dominated the OHL in the regular season and the playoffs leading to an impactful performance at the Memorial Cup. Since then, the 2017 first-round pick has answered every challenge and has gone beyond what has been expected of him. Whether it was on the wing or at centre, Suzuki made a statement, and he’ll get an opportunity to do that in the top-six.
Fleury proved to be a steady option on the bottom pair beating out Mike Reilly, Christian Folin, and Josh Brook. It certainly seemed as if the Montreal Canadiens were prepping one of Fleury or Brook to see time on the blueline, and the former took the victory for himself.
As far as the returning players go, the focus will be on Jonathan Drouin, Max Domi, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Victor Mete.
Domi had an electric season with the Habs setting career highs in all three offensive categories. He’s in a contract year, and if he wants to make the big bucks, he’ll have to prove that it wasn’t a one-off. At the same time, his production will help the Montreal Canadiens be competitive all season.
Kotkaniemi had a fine debut and despite an underwhelming training camp, will be looked upon to take the next step. Perhaps he can help Drouin turn a corner, another player who needs to have a big year. Trade rumours have been floating around the hometown kid for weeks, and this could be the time where he’s able to break free of that pressure and perform.
Acquiring a top-pair left-shot defenceman was one of the boxes the Montreal Canadiens needed to check off last summer. However, they instead chose to give the reigns to Mete. The young defenceman has seen those kinds of assignments throughout his two-year career, and he’ll now get a long look at the job.
Mete is also in a contract year, and that could push him to new heights.
Forward Lines
Tomas Tatar – Philip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Artturi Lehkonen -Max Domi – Nick Suzuki
Jonathan Drouin – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Joel Armia
Paul Byron – Nate Thompson – Jordan Weal
Defence Pairs
Victor Mete – Shea Weber
Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry
Brett Kulak – Cale Fleury
Goaltenders
The Hurricanes got their star player signed for the next five years (your welcome) and will be looked upon to build on what they did last season. There are new faces in Ryan Dzingel, Erik Haula, and Jake Gardiner, who will add more depth to an already talented team.
The recurring line in professional sports is that it’s not about how you start but how you finish. That is true, but the Montreal Canadiens will want to get their season off strong. Prove that the 5-on-5 scoring hasn’t taken a step back, show that the defence is good enough to succeed, and, most importantly, show that when the going gets tough, this team can breakthrough.
Also, watch Teuvo Teravainen! He always scores!
Next. In Defence of Drouin. dark