Nick Suzuki is playing encouraging hockey

When you watch the Montreal Canadiens on a regular basis, you come to appreciate all that Captain Nick Suzuki does.

I think that Suzuki is the perfect number one centre for the Habs, and they will win very important playoff games with him in that position. I'm convinced that unless a player comes in and is able to usurp Suzuki from his position, he will stay there. I don't expect that Kent Hughes will be making any trades to fill Suzuki's role.

The Canadiens just finished a six-game road trip, which was sure to be one of the toughest stretches on the teams' schedule. Montreal finished with a four and two record, wrapping the trip up with a 2-1 shootout win against Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. Habs rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes won his second start, standing tall against one of the NHL's best offences.

Suzuki and the Canadiens had a rather weird trip when you consider who they lost to and who they won their four games against. The Canadiens started off their six-game stretch away from the Bell Centre with a 5-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets and then rattled off three wins before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in game five of six. Suzuki and the club shut down the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Avalanche on Saturday night.

I won't take anything away from Jake Evans, because he has been arguably one of the Canadiens' best and most consistent players since the start of the season. But Suzuki is the one who faced Aleksander Barkov, Brayden Point, Jack Eichel and Nathan MacKinnon, coming up with a 4-0 record. Sure, it can be agreed upon that Suzuki hasn't scored a goal in his last 10 games, which isn't great, but he has also played 20 minutes a night against some of the NHL's premiere centremen.

I think that having two wingers playing their best would elevate his play to an even higher level. And that fact alone proves that if Juraj Slafkovsky were playing as he did last season, Suzuki and Cole Caufield would be producing even more, especially at five-on-five. Suzuki is doing all he has done with a rebuilding roster and many players who are still developing.

Ivan Demidov continues doing impressive things

Evidently, increased ice time derives more out of a player, than sitting them on the bench. Ivan Demidov has played quite well in the KHL with SKA St Petersburg, but his minutes haven't reflected that. Demidov has got the short end of the stick because he is the youngest player on the team.

However, Roman Rotenberg would have to be blind as a bat not to notice how impactful Demidov is when he has the time to create. If he is only playing every other shift, it's hard to find momentum, though the 18-year-old has done tremendous with limited time. With an increase in his ice time, Demidov has put the league on notice, pulling off highlight reel plays every game.

Consistent ice time has been the difference for Demidov, who has looked like the best player on his team with the adjustment. I don't think that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton's visit to Russia sparked a change of heart for Rotenburg, but there has been a notiecable increase in Demidov's ice time since. It's pretty clear that Demidov is going to be in Montreal come September, but there is plenty of hockey to be played, and he will help SKA right now.