Over the past three years, The Athletic has put together its list of players who might one day end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Since the Montreal Canadiens were a rebuilding team and players were early in their careers, they were not well-represented on this list.
In fact, they didn't have an active player at all in 2024 or 2025, but that changed this summer with the addition of Nick Suzuki to the tier 'Check back in a few years'. The Canadiens center joins a tier that includes players like Sebastian Aho, Evan Bouchard, Rasmus Dahlin, and Jason Robertson, to name a few.
Nick Suzuki added a lot to his resume last season with the Montreal Canadiens
Nick Suzuki had already established himself as a leader for the Canadiens, with it being his fourth season as captain, and during that period, he led the team in points.
However, this past season was seemingly the first that he got league-wide recognition for being one of the better players currently in the league. He responded with his first 100-point season and won the Selke Trophy. It was the first time since Guy Carbonneau won it in 1992 that the franchise had a player win the trophy named after Frank Selke, who was the Montreal Canadiens' general manager from 1946 through 1964.
The Canadiens also were able to go the farthest in the playoffs since 2021, when they reached the Stanley Cup Final. It was a playoff run in which Nick Suzuki really shined and was their best skater with 16 points in 19 playoff games.
That is why it wasn't all that surprising for Suzuki to be added to this year's edition, but as this tier notes, this is a great start. However, he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to make the Hockey Hall of Fame.
He has improved every season he has been with the Montreal Canadiens, and Suzuki now needs to maintain that level year after year to have himself a Hall of Fame career.
Add us as a preferred source on Google