Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is pacing for a career year across the board, with his sights laser focused on the Stanley Cup playoffs.
It's difficult to watch the Habs, and not notice the details in Suzuki's game that make him stand out as a top centre. There have been and will be arguments against his validity as a legitimate top line centre. But I think he has done everything you want your captain and top pivot to do.
Suzuki idolized former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, and in watching him play, you can tell that he has adopted parts of Bergeron's game. The London, Ontario native uses the defensive zone, and penalty kill as his canvas, making beautiful art with his smarts and effort. TSN's director of scouting Craig Button compared Suzuki to Bergeron, and you do with that information what you will.
That is a tremendous compliment, and I don't think he is saying they are stylistically similar overall. But it's more the impact, effort and glue-like personality that draws similarities between Suzuki and Bergeron - the hockey hall of fame centre. Suzuki doesn't cheat, and sometimes sacrifices offence for an honest defensive effort.
I think Suzuki has better shooting skills than Bergeron did, but he doesn't use them enough. If you have a look at Bergeron's career statistics, you'll notice that the assists were often higher than goals. The same thing is true for Suzuki, who makes Cole Caufield's life easy - much like Bergeron did for David Pastrnak.
Suzuki plays the game the right way on the ice - and serves as a mentor for Juraj Slafkovsky and Caufield. But I think the importance of Suzuki to the Habs will come to light soon - when/if Jake Evans is traded. Guys like Owen Beck, Oliver Kapanen and Florian Xhekaj will absorb plenty from watching and listening to Suzuki's advice - and seeing how he carries himself on the ice and around the rink.
With Kirby Dach out, what's next?
Kirby Dach is out for the remainder of the season, after reinjuring his surgically repaired knee - resulting in another operation. Dach struggled for much of this season, and it has been two years since he has been an impactful player for the Canadiens. Montreal needs to have some stability down the middle in their top six, and Dach hasn't given much hope in that regard.
Right now the Canadiens are right there in the mix for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern conference. What that means for Kent Hughes is that he has to make a tough decision, what's the plan with Evans and Christian Dvorak? I think they will be dealt, and should be to improve the team for the long haul.
The problem with that is that the Laval Rocket are likely to be a threat for the American Hockey League championship. Ultimately, this means that they are going to need all hands on deck - so while the Habs take priority, depleting the roster down in Laval for the Habs' success could stunt some players' development. Development is so important, and the smartest decision is to bring in a centre or two from outside of the organization.
Owen Beck can play the second line role for the remainder of the season, but if the playoffs are a part of the conversation, that is a lot of weight for a rookie. With Evans and Dvorak hypothetically out of the equation, Montreal has Suzuki and Beck. Alex Newhook can move to the wing - but overall, Montreal needs a legitimate second line centre.
Even with Dach healthy at camp in October, I don't think he is in the conversation to centre even the third line. I think his future with the Habs will come on the wing, and while that is fine, the organization doesn't currently have a guy that fits the second line centre mould. Michael Hage isn't likely ready for the bright lights in Montreal for another season or two - he is likely the guy for the job, but the Habs can't wait for him and not have an option now.
The organizational focus is likely to add a centre or two in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft. Free agency in July will also be pretty interesting for Habs fans. But if the goal is to make a playoff push, having that second line centre will be essential.
Elias Pettersson is an obvious name that will be brought up in any conversation - and at 26 years old, he is the perfect age for Hughes to acquire. The issue, of course, is the contract ($11.7 million average annual value), for the next seven years. But he is the top dog, in terms of centre conversations, and the only question would be how fast Suzuki goes to the second line.
Dylan Cozens is another option also - he was the seventh overall selection in the 2019 draft. The 24-year-old is from the same draft as Dach, Newhook and Caufield - which is a favourite of Hughes's. Cozens has struggled a bit, and his $7.1 million (AAV) over the next five years isn't a small number.
Trent Frederic is another option, the 27-year-old Boston Bruins centre plays an abrasive in-your-face style. If Sam Bennett has drawn interest - then a guy like Frederic makes a ton of sense. Hughes has some pretty good options, and with the March 7 deadline on the horizon, it should be sooner than later when he makes his move.