Nick Suzuki’s name is starting to sit where the league’s best centres live.
On August 23rd, NHL Media released its Top 20 centres in the NHL right now, and the Montreal Canadiens captain landed at No. 9. That’s a step up from last year, when Suzuki checked in at No. 10, and it keeps him in the top 10 for another season.
The list itself was built around the work elite centres are expected to do: “Winning important face-offs, leading rushes up the ice, and setting up teammates.” Suzuki checked every one of those boxes in 2025-26, and then some.
He put together a career year with 101 points in 82 games, scoring 29 goals and adding 72 assists while finishing at +37. It was the fifth straight season in which he raised his point total, a steady climb that has turned into one of the NHL’s most impressive stretches of growth.
Suzuki also delivered in the playoffs, piling up 16 points in 19 games with 4 goals and 16 assists. That production helped drive Montreal’s run to the Eastern Conference Final, where he remained a central offensive piece and a player the Canadiens leaned on when chances got tight.
There was more to his season than scoring, too. Suzuki won 50.4% of his face-offs and took home the Selke Trophy as the “best defensive forward.” He also led Montreal in total ice time, showing just how much the Canadiens trust him in every situation.
And then there’s the durability, which might be the most eye-catching part of the whole package. Suzuki has not missed a game in seven NHL seasons, and his 537 consecutive regular-season games, dating back to his first game in 2019, are the second-longest active streak in the league behind Brent Burns.
At 26, with a 101-point season, a Selke Trophy, and a top-10 ranking from NHL Network behind him, Suzuki has made his case as one of the league’s premier centres. Heading into 2026-27, Montreal will be counting on its captain to keep pushing the Canadiens forward.
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From the Canadiens side, Hughes would have to weigh whether the Oilers need is enough to justify revisiting a deal, especially with Montreal still carrying a young goalie structure and Montembeaults name continuing to circulate. Any move would come with real roster and cap complications for Edmonton, which makes the fit more complicated than a simple need-based swap and leaves Montreal with a decision that is anything but straightforward. [Read more 🡒]