The Montreal Canadiens have the chance to have one of the coolest stories of the offseason as they reunite brothers Nick Suzuki and Ryan Suzuki, who is a Group 6 UFA after completing his season with the Chicago Wolves as part of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Nick Suzuki has been a crucial part of the Canadiens' rebuild and is coming off the best season of his career with 101 points, the first time he has broken the 100-point mark, and winning the Selke Trophy. Meanwhile, Ryan Suzuki was a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes but hasn't had the same success at the NHL level as his brother, with only two NHL games to this point in his career.
While he hasn't been able to become a consistent NHL player, he has had plenty of success at the AHL level. He has spent six seasons in the AHL with 296 regular season games and 193 points during that stretch. Ryan Suzuki has also had 23 playoff games with 19 points and in the five games in the Calder Cup Finals he had six points, including being named First Star in Game 1.
The Montreal Canadiens are not unfamiliar with having brothers within the organization, as Arber and Florian Xhekaj were together this past season. Arber Xhekaj is a restricted free agent but has a good chance to return next season and continue in the same organization as his brother.
Ryan Suzuki would be a great addition for Laval Rocket with potential to be an answer at center for Canadiens
If the Canadiens were to sign Ryan Suzuki, he almost certainly would be for the Laval Rocket this season, but there is a path to getting to the NHL. The Canadiens need a Top 6 center for this season, and Ryan Suzuki won't fill that need, but looking ahead, Phillip Danault is set to be a free agent after this season, while Joe Veleno and Kirby Dach are restricted free agents this summer.
Depending on how the season plays out, if Ryan Suzuki puts together a solid season in Laval, he could compete for a spot to replace one of those players heading into the 2027-28 season.
While the signing may not impact Montreal much this season, it would be a cool story and a great way to give a player who has meant so much to the franchise a chance to play with his brother.
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