Nick Suzuki Canadiens 2024 Year-In-Review

The 2024 year was supposed to be different for the Montreal Canadiens. They believed their rebuild was starting to end, and they wondered whether 2024 would end with them looking ahead to a run at the playoffs in 2025. The year ended with a string of wins that elevated them to sixth place in the Atlantic Division, but they are still seven points behind in a playoff race. This series will examine how each player performed over the 2024 calendar year. The first one is team captain Nick Suzuki.

Nick Suzuki performed at a point-per-game pace over the 2024 calendar year, recording 33 goals and 46 assists in 79 games. He spent most of the year finding chemistry with Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield, but Martin St. Louis put the lines in a blender and split up the group to maximize scoring. However, he quickly learned that the team is better when the trio is together, and he put them back together in the year's final games.

It's no coincidence that the team is on a three-game winning streak at this writing, and Slafkovsky is playing his best hockey of the year. Suzuki is a perfect complimentary piece to Caufield and Slafkovsky, and the two-way center will continue to be one of Montreal's integral cogs in the machine.

Nick Suzuki's 2024 Highlights

Suzuki caught fire in the second-half of last season after a slower start, which included a four-game stretch where he had six goals and three assists. One of his best games of 2024 was on February 13 against the Anaheim Ducks, when he had two goals and an assist to cap that four-game stretch.

Suzuki has been one of the bright spots on the team this season, and is currently on pace to end the year with 87 points. That number will climb if Patrik Laine can stay healthy and continue scoring powerplay goals. The Suzuki to Laine powerplay connection has been a welcome sight for the Canadiens since Laine's debut.

Suzuki's best game of 2024 was the 7-5 afternoon thriller against the Buffalo Sabres on Remembrance Day. He recorded two goals and two assists to pace the team to a victory and break a six-game losing streak. It was one of the most exciting games this year, and the captain stepped up in a massive spot.