Canadiens fans have received terrible injury news. On top of missing two forwards, a defenseman, and a goaltender, captain Nick Suzuki will miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury.
In a Tuesday night game against San Jose, Suzuki blocked a snapshot in the third period. During this play, the puck hit his hand. Suzuki appeared to be in pain on the bench after the play. The Canadiens organization confirmed his absence on Oct. 22.
Suzuki is the backbone of this Habs team. Suzuki contributes to every part of the Canadiens’ game. Now with him out, the team is forced to step up. Will the Habs rise to the occasion through this tough stretch, or is their season already over?
Award-Winning Defensive Game
Nick Suzuki finished last season with a +37. He plays a strong 200-foot game and keeps the Canadiens from giving up too many scoring chances. Suzuki also blocked 62 shots last season, 25th among all forwards in the league. This strong defensive game earned him the Selke Trophy. Suzuki received 151 first-place votes for best defensive forward last season.
In addition to this, Suzuki is over 50% in faceoffs. The Canadiens team faceoff win percentage is currently over 52%. With Suzuki out, the Habs have to rely on the strong defensive players in their forward group.
One forward under more pressure is Jake Evans. Evans finished top-ten among forwards in shorthanded time on ice. Last season, he helped lead a penalty kill that allowed only 54 power-play goals in 248 shorthanded situations. This season, he ranks fourth in shorthanded ice time among forwards through the first nine games the Canadiens have played. Evans scored two shorthanded goals last season and three the year before. The Habs will rely on Evans defensively.
Also on the Canadiens, center Phillip Danault currently ranks sixth in shorthanded time among forwards. He is one of the strongest defensively minded players on this roster. Entering his fifteenth season, his veteran presence brings stability and poise to the Habs defensive game. Danault is also one of the best on the dot. He has a 53.2% career faceoff win percentage. Head coach Martin St. Louis sends him out when the team absolutely needs to win a draw.
The Canadiens will have to be sharp and distribute this defensive responsibility carefully.
100-Point Player
Last season, Suzuki posted a career-high 101 points. He is one of only four Selke winners to have 100 points since, and the first since Sergei Fedorov in 1996. He is the first Habs captain to post 100 points in a single season and the franchise’s first 100-point player since Mats Naslund in 1986.
Suzuki leads Montreal’s forwards in time on ice, averaging 21:47 minutes per game. In only nine games this season, the Captain already has 12 points and five goals. Suzuki drives so much of the offense this Canadiens team generates, especially on the power play. While the Habs power play has been slow to start this season, it ranked 10th in the league last year. Suzuki had 43 power-play points, leading the Canadiens.
Suzuki’s linemates, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský, will shoulder this offensive responsibility. Caufield finished second among the Canadiens in scoring. Last season he put up 88 points and 51 goals, finishing second in the league. Slafkovský improves every season, finishing last year with a career-high 73 points.
Since the captain’s injury, the Canadiens have been practicing with 23-year-old Oliver Kapanen centering the first line. Kapanen is their best option at 1C right now. Last season, Kapanen had 37 points and 22 goals, finishing third among rookie goal scorers. Kapanen is familiar with this line, as he spent part of last season playing on a line with Slafkovský.
The offensive hole left to fill is daunting, but the Canadiens will do their best.
Captain of Consistency
In Suzuki’s seven years in the league, he has never once missed a game. He has played in every Canadiens game since his debut in October of 2019. His ironman streak ends after 546 consecutive games. The Habs have never played without their captain. Whether it’s the game-tying goal in the Olympic quarterfinal or the game-winning goal in Game 7, the team can count on Suzuki.
The Canadiens’ new ironman is Lane Hutson, who has played 175 consecutive games. Hutson contributes a lot to this group despite being so young. He finished third on the team in scoring last season with 78 points. Hutson leads the Canadiens in time on ice this season and will take on more responsibility over the next two to four weeks. Hopefully, the Canadiens see the return of Mike Matheson and Ivan Demidov, who have also missed time this season. If the Canadiens can stick to their group game, they can hold onto this season.
The Canadiens started slower than they had hoped, and now this young group faces its biggest challenge yet. The Habs have caught a slight break, as their next division game is Nov. 7. They can only hope to grab some points on this Central Division road trip and build momentum. Slafkovský said it best: “(Hopefully) we win games when he’s not playing so he comes back and we’re in a good spot.”
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