Nick Suzuki isn’t in Montreal this summer, and that’s by design.
The Canadiens captain is spending the offseason in Ontario, near his hometown of London, as he adjusts to life as a new father. Suzuki welcomed a child roughly three months ago and is using the summer to stay close to both his family and his wife’s family, who are also based in Ontario.
There’s nothing unusual or concerning about the arrangement. It simply looks different from the situations of teammates Samuel Montembeault and Alexandre Carrier, who are also new fathers but are settled in Quebec.
What stands out is that Suzuki’s absence hasn’t left a void in Brossard.
The summer workouts have kept rolling, powered by a group of players who keep showing up. For years, Suzuki was the one setting that standard - spending his summers in Montreal, skating with teammates and driving the sessions at the Canadiens’ practice facility.
Now, that role has been handed off.
Ivan Demidov is the clearest example. He’s spending his summers in Montreal and is almost always around Brossard, taking on the same kind of daily presence Suzuki once provided. You have to love it.
Suzuki’s family responsibilities are keeping him away from the group this summer, but the culture he built is still there. Demidov has stepped into the space he left behind, and that may be Suzuki’s biggest mark on the room already.
Suzuki will likely be back in Montreal before training camp. For now, though, his legacy is showing up in the players who kept the summer going without him.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans Are Revisiting A Draft Choice That Still Hurts
The 2013 NHL Draft remains one of those nights Canadiens fans still revisit when the conversation turns to what might have been. Montral went with Michael McCarron at No. 25, looking to add size and a heavier edge to the roster, and he did eventually get into the lineup at times. But much of his development came in the AHL, and his time with the organization ended when he was traded to the Nashville Predators.
Right after that pick, Anaheim took Shea Theodore at No. 26, and his career path has been the sort that keeps hindsight buzzing around Montral. Theodore grew into a regular NHL defenseman, won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights and even represented Canada at the Olympics, which only sharpens the contrast for Canadiens supporters still thinking about how different the blue line might have looked. It is the kind of draft slide that never fully goes away because the alternate timeline is easy to picture, even if it will never be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Suzuki Keeps Raising The Canadiens Ceiling Again
Nick Suzukis rise has become one of the clearest reasons the Canadiens can talk about a higher ceiling with a straight face. After a career-best season that saw him finish with 101 points and capture the Frank J. Selke Trophy, the Montreal captain has moved beyond promising centerpiece and into the category of player who can tilt the direction of a franchise. The steady climb in his game has been the kind of progression teams spend years hoping to find, and it has given Montreal a true driver in the middle of its lineup.
What makes Suzukis outlook so intriguing now is that last season may not have been the peak, only the latest step. There is a growing sense around the Canadiens that he can challenge the 100-point mark again if the rest of the roster gives him enough support, and that possibility carries real weight as the team looks ahead. The shape of Montreals forward group and any changes around him will matter, but Suzuki has already shown he can keep raising the standard even as the expectations around him keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Quiet Roster Squeeze That Could Reshape Next Season
The Canadiens have spent much of the summer locking in pieces of their core, but the quieter challenge now is figuring out what the next version of the roster is supposed to look like. Eight players are set to hit free agency after the season, and while Montreal has some obvious names it would like to keep around, the picture is already getting complicated enough that the front office has to balance continuity, cost and timing all at once.
Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook and Jayden Struble look positioned to be part of the conversation going forward, but the list of possible departures is where the real pressure starts to build. Samuel Montembeault, Kirby Dach, Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault and Alexandre Carrier could all be moving into what amounts to a final year in Montreal, and with contract decisions and trade possibilities both hanging over the group, the Canadiens may end up reshaping more than just the bottom of the roster before next season arrives. [Read more 🡒]