Player Discussion Nick Suzuki Part X

[montreal]

this season which is so hard to get a read on since we have never seen anything like it and hopefully never will again. But his problem was just consistency as let's not forget the posters calling for him to be sent to Laval, the taxi squad or the press box on different points during the season.

He ran into trouble for 3 stretches,

after starting the season with 12 pts in the first 12 games,

he had 2 pts in the next 9 games (Feb 4th -25th)

then he rattles off 4 pts in the next 4 games

then he gets 3 pts in the next 10 games (March 8th - April 1st)

then he rattles off 4 pts in the next 3 games

then he gets 3 pts in the next 9 games (April 8th -23rd)

then he goes on fire and gets 14 pts in the final 11 games.



By month -

Jan - 8-2-5-7 (.88 ppg)
Feb - 12-3-4-7 (.58 ppg)
March - 12-2-4-6 (.5 ppg)
April - 17-5-8-13 (.76 ppg)
May - 7-3-5-8 (1.14 ppg)

KK by month -

Jan - 8-1-4-5 (.63 ppg)
Feb - 12-1-3-4 (.33 ppg)
March - 12-3-4-7 (.58 ppg)
April - 17-0-4-4 (.24 ppg)
May - 7-0-0-0

 

[ClasslessGuy]

Suzuki will break out next season

 

[Just Linda]

From Toffoli's article in the player's Tribune

"And here’s the funny thing about what happened next. When I was with the Canucks, I had been watching a lot of games during my time in the bubble in Edmonton — because there wasn’t a whole to do — and one of the guys who kept catching my eye? Nick Suzuki. I’m serious. I didn’t get to see a whole lot of him while I was playing on the West Coast. But watching him against the Pens … I was just like, Man, I want to play on this guy’s line one day.

So when my agent came to me during this last off-season and said Montreal was interested, Nick was one of the guys I thought of when I was looking through their lineup. I had heard from my buddy Nate Thompson that the Habs were a great group of guys off the ice, and that is something that matters a lot to me. And Cat and I both really loved the idea of living in Montreal, so it just made sense."

 

[Redux91]

2020: 13 GOALS/41 PTS/71 GAMES

2021: 15 GOALS/41 PTS/56 GAMES

At 20 and 21 no less, WITH the sophomore slump and still paced for 60 pts?

Fuggetboutittttt, hes a KEEPER baby

just work on the face offs a bit lol..

 

[Hins77]

Suzuki will break out next season

Since the begginning of the season i said suzuki is a next ppg. Many posters didnt believe me and won’t today either. But 21 years old. Pace for 60 point... thats really great. And I told that about a fact : looking his junior ohl stats. 17years old : 96 pts. 18years old : 100pts. Thats enormous. Btw, You don’t need to be a professional scout to expect his future with that kind of stats. Most of the time, put 100 poiints on the board in one season in the ohl is reserved for those 20 years old guy into a good hockey team

 

[26Mats]

Since the begginning of the season i said suzuki is a next ppg. Many posters didnt believe me and won’t today either. But 21 years old. Pace for 60 point... thats really great. And I told that about a fact : looking his junior ohl stats. 17years old : 96 pts. 18years old : 100pts. Thats enormous. Btw, You don’t need to be a professional scout to expect his future with that kind of stats. Most of the time, put 100 poiints on the board in one season in the ohl is reserved for those 20 years old guy into a good hockey team

It's going to help him next year having either Caufield or Toffoli, or both.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

He’s the real deal.

 

[417]

Suzuki is a good example of what can happen when a coaching staff puts faith in the talent.

They threw him into the deep end and let him fight through the ups and downs. This will pay off 2-3yrs down the line when we have a very experienced 23yr old center who can be trusted in all situations.

Habs would be well advised to consider a similar approach with another young center currently on the team.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Suzuki will break out next season

He's already doing it. It's crazy how effective he can be with a bit of a lacklustre skating. He is just one of those players who can take complete control of the pace of the game.

 

[Habs Icing]

Suzuki is a good example of what can happen when a coaching staff puts faith in the talent.

They threw him into the deep end and let him fight through the ups and downs. This will pay off 2-3yrs down the line when we have a very experienced 23yr old center who can be trusted in all situations.

Habs would be well advised to consider a similar approach with another young center currently on the team.

A couple of points.

1) Suzuki wasn't thrown into the deep end right off the bat. You forget he played a lot last year on the fourth line with Thompson. They gradually increased his duties from last season to this.
2) The reason the same thing hasn't happened to the other young center is that he hasn't responded to the challenge. He had a disastrous season last year and a stinker this year. It seems the little they're asking of that young center is too much for him.

 

[Habs Icing]

He's already doing it. It's crazy how effective he can be with a bit of a lacklustre skating. He is just one of those players who can take complete control of the pace of the game.

I wouldn't say Suzuki has elite skating but I also wouldn't call it lackluster. I have seen him turn on the jets when the situation asked for it. Suzuki's skating is above average. One of the colour men (may have been Poulin) called it controlled skating. I think that's a perfect description

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

His size/speed combo is pretty mediocre, but the skill is grade A, and the IQ is off the charts.

 

[Ozmodiar]

A couple of points.

1) Suzuki wasn't thrown into the deep end right off the bat. You forget he played a lot last year on the fourth line with Thompson. They gradually increased his duties from last season to this.
2) The reason the same thing hasn't happened to the other young center is that he hasn't responded to the challenge. He had a disastrous season last year and a stinker this year. It seems the little they're asking of that young center is too much for him.

It’s just another complaint about KK’s usage. It’s really an oversimplification of the situation, isn’t it? If it works for one young center, then it ought work for the other.

The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t work that way. Suzuki is clearly more mature physically and mentally.

 

[Ozmodiar]

I wouldn't say Suzuki has elite skating but I also wouldn't call it lackluster. I have seen him turn on the jets when the situation asked for it. Suzuki's skating is above average. One of the colour men (may have been Poulin) called it controlled skating. I think that's a perfect description

Botteril had a similar comment. Something like - he’s always in position and ready.
He has good burst getting to loose pucks as you can see on the forecheck.

a big difference lately is that he’s carrying the puck through the neutral zone more. He’s getting odd man rushes and has enough speed that a) he isn’t getting caught from back pressure; and b) he is backing the D off enough to get a gods shot.

 

[417]

A couple of points.

1) Suzuki wasn't thrown into the deep end right off the bat. You forget he played a lot last year on the fourth line with Thompson. They gradually increased his duties from last season to this.

A lot?

Nah, I didn't forget...but it wasn't a lot. He started off on the wing, he didn't stay there very long and rightfully so.

2) The reason the same thing hasn't happened to the other young center is that he hasn't responded to the challenge. He had a disastrous season last year and a stinker this year. It seems the little they're asking of that young center is too much for him.

What challenge?

 

[417]

It’s just another complaint about KK’s usage. It’s really an oversimplification of the situation, isn’t it? If it works for one young center, then it ought work for the other.

The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t work that way. Suzuki is clearly more mature physically and mentally.

Interesting that that's how you interpreted that...

I wasn't suggesting that what worked for one young center, ought to work for the other. I was just highlighting the different approach taken with both players.

They seemed a lot more willing to live with the ups and downs with Suzuki, that's undeniable, no matter how he played this year his role and opportunities on the team never wavered. I applaud that.

 

[Habs Icing]

A lot?

Nah, I didn't forget...but it wasn't a lot. He started off on the wing, he didn't stay there very long and rightfully so.


What challenge?

Nick played a third of the season on the 4th line. And on the wing. If that had been done to KK it would be another excuse. Actually it was one of the excuses. He played on the wing 7-8 games this year and we haven't heard the end of the whining.

The challenge of taking a regular shift on the third line and on the 2nd PP. Hasn't worked out that well so far.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Suzuki is a good example of what can happen when a coaching staff puts faith in the talent.

They threw him into the deep end and let him fight through the ups and downs. This will pay off 2-3yrs down the line when we have a very experienced 23yr old center who can be trusted in all situations.

Habs would be well advised to consider a similar approach with another young center currently on the team.

Habs would be well advised to consider a similar approach with all their young, high upside players currently on the team.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Nick played a third of the season on the 4th line. And on the wing. If that had been done to KK it would be another excuse. Actually it was one of the excuses. He played on the wing 7-8 games this year and we haven't heard the end of the whining.

The challenge of taking a regular shift on the third line and on the 2nd PP. Hasn't worked out that well so far.

It was done to KK literally that same season, often to a greater degree, and wasn't used as an excuse.

Peoples issue with the treatment of KK is that he was playing well and the coaching staff started yanking him around.

 

[417]

Nick played a third of the season on the 4th line. And on the wing. If that had been done to KK it would be another excuse. Actually it was one of the excuses. He played on the wing 7-8 games this year and we haven't heard the end of the whining.

I don't recall the exact moment but he really didn't play that long on the 4th line, by his 4th NHL game he was already playing 15-16 mins a game.

Which is icetime Koktaniemi's only seen a handful of times.

Look, i'm not trying to create a Suzuki vs Kotkaniemi situation here, all i'm saying is Suzuki, at least IMO, looks so well-adjusted because they've allowed him to work though his ups and downs.

The challenge of taking a regular shift on the third line and on the 2nd PP. Hasn't worked out that well so far.

It's been the plan since game 1 of his rookie season...might be time to update that plan.

Of course now, the timing is bad given his current form, but there were multiple times over the season where Kotkaniemi was our best center...at no point did the coaching staff consider elevating his role.

To me, that's unacceptable.

 

[Habs Icing]

I don't recall the exact moment but he really didn't play that long on the 4th line, by his 4th NHL game he was already playing 15-16 mins a game.

Which is icetime Koktaniemi's only seen a handful of times.

Look, i'm not trying to create a Suzuki vs Kotkaniemi situation here, all i'm saying is Suzuki, at least IMO, looks so well-adjusted because they've allowed him to work though his ups and downs.


It's been the plan since game 1 of his rookie season...might be time to update that plan.

Of course now, the timing is bad given his current form, but there were multiple times over the season where Kotkaniemi was our best center...at no point did the coaching staff consider elevating his role.

To me, that's unacceptable.

Opinion. I on the other hand never saw him as our best center. This year or last year. Two different opinions

But how can you ignore the fact that he has regular shifts on the PP and has averaged 14:56 minutes a game and has not contributed much? I agree they switched linemates on him too often and I wished they wouldn't but maybe they're switching linemates because he has not lived up to expectations. The constant changing of linemates would explain the lack of production but it does not explain the horrific play.

I also don't want to make this KK VS Suzuki. But I think KK is a victim of expectations. Management (and many fans on this board) think he's a top 6 center in the making. The past two years have shown he's a very long way from being one and it's not very certain that he'll become one.

 

[Andrei79]

But how can you ignore the fact that he has regular shifts on the PP and has averaged 14:56 minutes a game and has not contributed much?

Who exactly has contributed on that second wave PP ?

 

[417]

Opinion. I on the other hand never saw him as our best center. This year or last year. Two different opinions.

I meant for certain segments of this year, he was our best center.

But how can you ignore the fact that he has regular shifts on the PP and has averaged 14:56 minutes a game and has not contributed much? I agree they switched linemates on him too often and I wished they wouldn't but maybe they're switching linemates because he has not lived up to expectations. The constant changing of linemates would explain the lack of production but it does not explain the horrific play.

I don't think i've ignored that...but like you said, they've switched linemates on him way too often and they haven't rewarded him when he was playing well, with increased responsibilities.

I'm not here blaming it all on the coaching staff. But I really don't think they've done him any favors either.

I also don't want to make this KK VS Suzuki. But I think KK is a victim of expectations. Management (and many fans on this board) think he's a top 6 center in the making. The past two years have shown he's a very long way from being one and it's not very certain that he'll become one.

Maybe...but personally, my expectations heading into this season weren't very high because I knew the role he'd be playing wouldn't allow for a breakout.

But yes, I'm confident that he'll be a top 6C eventually...but don't expect that process to happen any time soon when you've got a coaching staff seriously considering playing Eric Staal over him next week.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Who exactly has contributed on that second wave PP ?

If KK was so good, wouldn’t it be producing? Like how many times does KK need to bobble the puck and turn it over on the PP before you guys acknowledge it? Some serious cognitive dissonance going on here. Too many folks are just too afraid to admit KK was terrible this year. But admission is needed before we can go further in this dialogue. Way too many wild excuses and conspiracy theories going on in here.

 

[Habs Icing]

Who exactly has contributed on that second wave PP ?

Petry and Tatar have 11 and 6 points respectively. And wasn't Drouin on that 2nd wave? He has 5. KK has 4. But the claim has been that KK has elite playmaking skills. I understand he has no chemistry 5 on 5 because of the switching but that 2nd wave has been fairly constant where are his elite skills?