Nick Suzuki’s absence on Thursday did nothing to slow the Montreal Canadiens’ momentum, but it did make the case for just how central he has become.
Without Suzuki, plus Mike Matheson and Ivan Demidov, the Canadiens knocked off one of the NHL’s heavyweight teams, the Dallas Stars, 5-2 for their fourth straight victory. Alex Newhook scored twice, Cole Caufield added a two-goal night of his own, and Montreal kept rolling without its captain in the lineup.
That win only sharpened the point: the Canadiens have built their attack around Suzuki, and he’s already operating at a level that makes 100 points look less like a dream season and more like the expectation. Before getting sidelined, he had piled up five goals and seven assists for 12 points in nine games.
Last season made that leap unmistakable. Suzuki finished with 29 goals and 72 assists for 101 points in 82 games, and the numbers suggest that wasn’t a one-off spike.
His goal total fit the pattern he’s established, with 26 or more goals in four straight seasons. The real explosion came as a passer, where his 72 assists were 13 more than his previous high of 59 from the season before.
At 27, that kind of growth fits the arc of a player settling fully into his prime. It also fits the trajectory of the wingers beside him. Caufield reached 51 goals last season and is on pace to top that again, while Juraj Slafkovský posted a breakout 73-point season in 82 games.
The trio is still young, too: Slafkovský is 22, Caufield is 25, and all three are locked in long term. That gives Montreal a foundation that still feels like it’s getting started. Add in young, long-term pieces like Demidov, Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson, and Suzuki’s future support system looks built to last, injuries aside.
There’s more to Suzuki’s game than the box score, too. NHL Edge data shows he remains one of the league’s best skaters, with 92 speed bursts between 29 and 32 kilometers per hour, good for the 71st percentile and 23 above the league average. He also has 24 bursts between 32 and 35 kilometers per hour, which puts him in the 78th percentile and eight above average, even though he has missed four games.
His wheels showed up in a big way on October 10 against the Detroit Red Wings, when he skated 6.63 kilometers in a 1-0 Canadiens win. That total sits in the 99th percentile for distance covered in a game this season.
The Canadian Olympian has made a habit of being more than a top-line center. He’s a difference maker every time he steps on the ice, with the skating, scoring touch and workload to match.
He’s averaging just under 22 minutes a night this season, and everything about his game points to the same conclusion: Suzuki isn’t just a star. He’s a 100-point player.
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Brendan Gallaghers start with Vancouver has been a jolt for anyone who expected the veteran winger to settle quickly into a familiar role. The 34-year-old arrived in June and instead has found himself fighting for every shift, with his usage shrinking and his place in the lineup suddenly becoming a topic of debate among fans who are used to seeing him as a dependable presence.
The frustration has spilled into calls for the Canucks to make a bigger move with him, whether that means a trip to the press box or something more drastic. Gallagher, for his part, is not entertaining retirement and says he still wants to prove he can help this team, but the early-season uncertainty around his role has made this a far more uncomfortable story than anyone around the club likely anticipated. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Dachs Late Scratch Puts Canadiens Fans On Edge Again
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The good news for the Canadiens is that Dachs absence is not expected to linger, with a return on the horizon as soon as Tuesday against the Jets. For a team already managing the usual wear and tear of the season, even a short-term scratch can feel like a reminder of how quickly the depth chart can change, especially when the margins are this thin. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Loom In Dylan Larkin Trade Drama
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For the Canadiens, the intrigue is obvious because a player of Larkins caliber would reshape the conversation around their roster in a hurry. The idea gaining traction is that Montreal could help move the process along if it becomes part of the trade picture, but for now it remains only speculation. The situation is still fluid, and the next step depends on how the market develops from here. [Read more 🡒]