Montreal Canadiens: How Nick Suzuki Trade Made The 2017 Draft An Important One

By the time the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round selection during the 2017 NHL Draft rolled around at 25, the draft’s best players had already been selected. No offence to Ryan Poehling, but the Makar’s, Pettersson’s and Heiskanen’s are above and beyond him, among other draftees.

The Canadiens didn’t necessarily have a bad draft, but given the amount of talent throughout the first round, the Habs were unable to select an impact player.

The only player that the Canadiens drafted in 2017 that has done anything for the Canadiens since the draft is Cayden Primeau. He is still trying to find his way to the NHL, so the flier on the draft is still undetermined. That was the case until Marc Bergevin swung the trade that saw captain Max Pacioretty’s departure to the Vegas Golden Knights for a package that included Nick Suzuki.

If you didn’t know Suzuki before the trade, a quick YouTube search would solve that problem for you, as there are many video packages showcasing his impressive play in the OHL. He was a captain, a clutch performer and an unbelievable teammate, which are many of the traits that Vegas saw when they selected the London, Ontario., native. He was highly coveted in any deal that would see the Canadiens move on from Pacioretty.

The acquisition kick-started somewhat of a turn of a new leaf, as the former captain was out and new things were on the horizon. As we all know now the team has become Suzuki’s after the Bergevin era came to an end. And he has shown an ability to lead with maturity, and he has ice in his veins.

If not for the big trade, the Canadiens could call their 2017 class a dud. Suzuki has compiled four seasons of play, accumulating 291 games. He has posted 75-134-209 regular season point totals, and in 32 playoff games, the 23-year-old has 11 goals, and 12 assists, along with a Stanley Cup berth.

While Suzuki doesn’t exactly present as the first step of Hughes and Gorton’s era in Montreal, he is certainly ranked high on a list of positives that the Canadiens have done to improve in recent years. Suzuki and the Habs youth movement complement each other rather nicely, and he and the young core have been given a wave of confidence from management to go out and play their games.

The young core players, along with their captain have something great brewing in Montreal, and Suzuki is going to be a huge piece to the puzzle that is being assembled.

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