There is no question that the forward group for Team Canada is the best in the Olympics, with superstars like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mitch Marner. Any time those players are stepping on the ice, opposing teams are going to be dedicating a lot of effort to slowing them down.
However, it opens the door for a player like Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki to not only make an impact but be a breakout star in these Olympics. On Sunday, Team Canada held practice, and according to Pierre LeBrun, Suzuki was on a line with Brad Marchand and Nathan MacKinnon.
Suzuki has been a big part of the Canadiens' success over the past few seasons, as he had 30 or more goals in each of the past two seasons entering this year. This season, he is a little below that pace with only 18 through 57 games, but has not been shooting as much but been more of a facilitator with 47 assists already. He is only 12 assists away from his career high of 59, which he set last season.
While Suzuki has been excellent the past few seasons for Montreal, it has been a while since he has participated in an international tournament. The last one was in 2019 as part of the IIHF World Junior Championship.
In that tournament, Suzuki was limited but did have three assists and a +/- of +3 in five games.
Nick Suzuki's versatility that has helped the Montreal Canadiens will help Team Canada in the Olympics
During his career with the Canadiens, he has shown he can play both roles really well, depending on what the team needs. If they need a goal scorer, Suzuki can do that and at an efficient rate with a shooting percentage over 17% the prior two seasons, or someone willing to move the puck and set up teammates for those shots.
With Suzuki on a line that includes MacKinnon, arguably one of the best in the world, and a veteran like Brad Marchand, it gives him a ton of potential going into the Olympics. He should have the space he needs to make plays, and if he is able to capitalize on this opportunity, he could be one of the stars over the next few weeks.