The Montreal Canadiens played last season without a captain. Perhaps not coincidentally, they often looked like a rudderless ship.
The team struggled through perhaps its worst season in well over 100 years of existence, and found themselves at the bottom of a 32 team league at season’s end. It wasn’t pretty, and when the going was tough, there was no obvious leader to turn to for words of wisdom.
That man was supposed to be Shea Weber. I mean, technically he was still the team’s captain last season. He just didn’t play all year and due to injury, was never going to join the team for the 2021-22 season or any time in the future either. He was, for all intents and purposes, retired, but he would never file that paperwork and lose out on the last four years of pay.
It already seemed likely Weber would be replaced as captain for the 2022-23 season, but following his trade to the Vegas Golden Knights, it was a guarantee. There was no need to play another year without anyone wearing the “C” on their chest in Montreal.
So, the debate became who would take over the role from Weber? There were a couple of veterans like Brendan Gallagher and Joel Edmundson who seemed to be good fits.
Gallagher plays the game the way you want your players to play it. With high intensity and a never say quit attitude. He has battled players far larger than himself without ever backing down and would be a great emotional leader for a team about to embark on a youth movement.
Edmundson possesses a lot of the same qualities as Gallagher, but he is also nearly a foot taller. He plays a ton of minutes on the blue line, taking on top players from the opposition every night and blocking shots, winning battles, killing penalties and making life a little easier on his goalie every shift.
However, it seemed like either veteran would just have been a stopgap for a few years. The only debate against Nick Suzuki taking on the “C” today is that he might be a bit too young.
The 23 year old centre has played just three NHL seasons, but he embodies the characteristics of a leader. He has been endorsed by everyone in the room, recent past and present, and plays a tough two-way role as the team’s first line centre. Suzuki is a well liked and hardworking player who is looked up to by younger players and veterans alike.
There was no question Suzuki was a captain of tomorrow, so the Canadiens simply delayed the inevitable and named Nick Suzuki the team’s captain today.
With the team looking to successfully pull off a rebuild in the next couple years, they knew they would be calling Suzuki the team’s leader at some point soon. Why wait until the rebuild is nearing completion when you can name him the team’s captain now and know he is ready for the role?
There is no sense in delaying an obvious decision. Giving the “C” to Edmundson would have been for a year before he was traded or maybe two years before his contract is up. Then, it would be Suzuki’s turn.
Instead of putting it off for a year or two, the Canadiens made the wise choice and gave Suzuki the letter he deserves.
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