Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield Decline World Championships Invites

Montreal Canadiens forwards Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki really transformed their games under new head coach Martin St. Louis.

While Suzuki was just okay in the first 45 games of the season for the Canadiens, Caufield was pretty much invisible.

Then St. Louis showed up and both players were reunited on the top line and were excellent for the remainder of the season.

Caufield would score just one goal in his 30 games of the season, but piled up 22 goals and 35 points in 37 games to close out the season. Suzuki was better early on, scoring 27 points in the first 45 games, but he turned things up a notch in the second half, finishing the season with 12 goals and 34 points in 37 contests.

It is a shame we don’t get to see the duo play any more games together this season. They both had the opportunity to play for their country in the upcoming World Championships but for different reasons decided to turn it down.

Suzuki has apparently been battling a back injury down the stretch of the season. You wouldn’t have known it by watching his dipsy-doodle around defenders with the puck on a string, but it has been a few weeks since he practiced or participated in a morning skate. The reason for that was because he was getting treatment for his back or just resting in for game time.

Caufield, on the other hand, is healthy but chose not to participate. He decided after a short offseason a year ago and a slow start to this NHL season, he will focus on resting and then preparing for the 2022-23 season instead of joining USA at the World Championships.

It would have been fun to watch the two young forwards playing in a prestigious tournament for their country, but it makes sense that Suzuki would want to rest up his back and Caufield would rather focus on getting ready for the next NHL season.

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