Montreal Canadiens news: Captain Nick Suzuki sidelined with injury

Montreal Canadiens training camp is off to a roaring start… or… is it?

As training camp starts to get underway, the Montreal Canadiens have already seen some injuries added to the injury report. While they knew of injuries to players like Sean Monahan and Carey Price coming into the year, some new names were added.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and defenceman Joel Edmundson both have sustained lower body injuries and will miss some time. For Suzuki, the newly named captain, he’s going to be on the sidelines to start things off.

The two players collided in a scrimmage, according to Jeff Gorton, who’s the executive vice president of the Habs hockey operations. The collision led to the injuries, which is why both players will miss time.

For Edmundson, it could force the Canadiens’ hand on some moves. But with Suzuki, there is good news to pair with the bad. According to the initial reports, he is only slated to miss a couple of weeks.

This will allow him to get back out there and prepare for the 2022-23 season. While it will be a year full of development from top to bottom, this injury to Suzuki certainly does not make his transition into the captaincy any easier.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is set to miss two weeks.

For Suzuki, he could use these two weeks to still be around the team and start building that morale and camaraderie that is going to matter down the line as the team begins to find its direction and builds out the culture of the locker room itself.

If Suzuki cannot be out there on the ice, he will have to find ways to be creative with his time and keep doing the most to get things on track ahead of the 2022-23 season. The beginning of training camp hit the team hard.

While the collision during a scrimmage sent two players to the Injured List (IL), the healthy players were put through a vigorous workout on the ice. It was a high-intensity practice where the Habs players were tested early in camp this year.

As they continue to put these guys through a true test and hope players can keep healing up, Suzuki has an opportunity to handle some adversity well here. This means being able to capitalize on time around the team off the ice and help some of those younger players struggling to adjust.

It’s a chance to work on the room’s morale, especially when some players have their futures on the line, whether that’s a future between starting the season with the AHL versus NHL, rookies starting their professional careers, or PTO players hoping to impress.

After all, Suzuki aims to return on the ice within two weeks, preparing for the 2022-23 season.