Player Discussion New Captain- Nick Suzuki

[Miller Time]

Both the players on his line and the players on other lines who need to be defended. I see his upside as a Damphousse, a "second line" center who plays defense against top lines and also puts up points.

Last year you couldn't really evaluate the forwards because so much of the the play stayed in the habs end. They're still in a mess, they don't necessarily need more scorers but they need guys who can push the play, get the puck up the ice and occupy opposing players. They are well into the rebuild and Hughes still needs to get the rarest, most in demand players.

Interesting...

I think he's already performing at the "upside" level you defined.

I'd argue his upside is higher than that, something closer to an elite 2-way C. Bergeron-lite, or on par with peak ROR.

Either way, he's a great top 6 piece to have in place & a perfect captain for this market & the eventual cup contending roster KH is building

 

[dcyhabs]

Interesting...

I think he's already performing at the "upside" level you defined.

I'd argue his upside is higher than that, something closer to an elite 2-way C. Bergeron-lite, or on par with peak ROR.

Either way, he's a great top 6 piece to have in place & a perfect captain for this market & the eventual cup contending roster KH is building

He's playing the role, and he's had a lot of good games. We'll know if the team can succeed with him in the role once they add a few more pieces. He's 24, so he's probably not far from his peak scoring ability, but he will probably improve his D.

He's scoring similarly to ROR or Bergeron, but I don't see his defense at that level yet. He's engaged defensively, and he's good, but I'm not convinced he's elite now.

He and Slaf are the key forwards so far, with Caufield a bit more niche. We'll see if Dach can have a healthy season, and if they can fill out the rest of the lines reasonably. With luck we'll see some growth from some of the young guys. Dach and Xhekaj haven't played that much, relatively, so there may be some room for growth. Newhook, Caufield, Struble, Guhle, Barron, Roy, and Slaf have some development left and the last three or four should fill out a bit. I'm eager to see Guhle get a bit more solid.

It's tough to evaluate Suzuki as it is. Has he peaked or can he do much more with a good team around him?

 

[alasania94]

He's playing the role, and he's had a lot of good games. We'll know if the team can succeed with him in the role once they add a few more pieces. He's 24, so he's probably not far from his peak scoring ability, but he will probably improve his D.

He's scoring similarly to ROR or Bergeron, but I don't see his defense at that level yet. He's engaged defensively, and he's good, but I'm not convinced he's elite now.

He and Slaf are the key forwards so far, with Caufield a bit more niche. We'll see if Dach can have a healthy season, and if they can fill out the rest of the lines reasonably. With luck we'll see some growth from some of the young guys. Dach and Xhekaj haven't played that much, relatively, so there may be some room for growth. Newhook, Caufield, Struble, Guhle, Barron, Roy, and Slaf have some development left and the last three or four should fill out a bit. I'm eager to see Guhle get a bit more solid.

It's tough to evaluate Suzuki as it is. Has he peaked or can he do much more with a good team around him?

Athletic's mid season Selke voting. Suzuki is already elite defensively

 

[Ozmodiar]

Athletic's mid season Selke voting. Suzuki is already elite defensively

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The kid can play!

He’s the type of player coaches love to have on their team.

 

[Deebs]

The kid can play!

He’s the type of player coaches love to have on their team.

Absolutely. He's so predictable they gotta love it. Nick is a beauty

 

[Bouboumaster]

Big Dick Nick is the best forward player we had since f***ing Kovalev

If only we had him during Price's prime

 

[The Great Weal]

I think he's got a legit shot to score 80 points this season, his linemates have been awesome

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I think he's got a legit shot to score 80 points this season, his linemates have been awesome

Next season or two Having a Caufield that doesn’t go on an explicable slump, and an ever improving Slaf along with a Hutson or Mailloux on the PP and he could put up even better numbers.

This top line, all 3 of them can shoot and playmake. Best 1st line since Koivu Kovy and Tanguay and will likely be far better than them

 

[Scintillating10]

Suzuki on pace for 74 points. That's the most any Hab has had since Koivu in 2007.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Suzuki on pace for 74 points. That's the most any Hab has had since Koivu in 2007.

Didn’t Kovy get like 80 in 07-08?

 

[Scintillating10]

Didn’t Kovy get like 80 in 07-08?

Yup, I missed that one

 

[CAUFIELD]

a bad contract according to the Athletics last year

 

[Ozmodiar]

The Suzuki threads…

 

[danisonfire]

He always was one. He just needed time to learn how to play the game at the NHL level with consistency. He has improved each year on a weak roster riddled with injuries.

Suzuki isn't going to get 150 point seasons but he can give you close to PPG (and higher as the roster fills in) with solid defensive play and this is with not much to show for PP production. Most of this production over the past few years is at ES and SH. He is also still improving himself.

The most important part is his locked in dollar amount. His contract will look like a steal in a few years and allow us some extra money to fill in the roster. Nick Suzuki + 6m in cap space > some guy that gets 15 more points. That guy with 15 more points last year didn't play on Montreal. He wouldn't have had 15 more points on last years Montreal team.

One thing I will say about him is that he seems to be very smart and great at reading the ice. Fast learner. Those players usually find a way to carve out a decent career even with lesser raw "ability". He has both. There were zero NHL scorers above him last season that had less powerplay points then Suzuki. He is strong ES and SH. His time will come when we improve.