Nick Suzuki has always admired Patrice Bergeron and it seems that Suzuki is following in his idol’s footsteps this season. But maybe not in the category he would like…
Posted at 5:41 p.m.
In the loss to the Canadian on Saturday, Suzuki got his 57and point of the season. But he also finished the game with a differential of -3. His record since the start of the season: -31. In 14 games since the trade deadline, he shows a -16.
The link with Bergeron? It’s that Suzuki is in the process of joining a rather particular group. He could become the 11and forward, since the 2004-2005 lockout, to end a season with 60 points and a differential of less than -25.
But there are also statistical anomalies. If he has three points in the last six games, Suzuki will be added to that list.
The presence of Bergeron in this painting is obviously startling. The pride of L’Ancienne-Lorette has won the Selke Trophy four times since and has been one of the three finalists for this trophy for the past 10 seasons.
But in his third season, Bergeron did not present the figures of a future class leader.
Bergeron’s teammate that year, Jason York grumbles. “The differential is a stupid statistic. It’s a team stat, insists the former defender. If you are an attacker in withdrawal, behind the game, and you see that the opposing team is about to score, you go to the bench and it is the player who replaces you who has the – 1.
“Patrice wasn’t the type to do that, though. But take a good kid from a bad team and you’ll have a bad differential. »
In transition
Because yes, those 2006-07 Bruins were bad. They missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, going 35-41-6. Their average of 3.48 goals against per game was the 29and of the NHL, and that was in the time of the 30 teams. It was the last season before the arrival of Claude Julien behind the bench and the renewal that followed.
“It was Zdeno Chara’s first year in Boston, his first as captain. Phil Kessel was a rookie. Watch him play today, defensively, and imagine how he could have been on his debut! I was 36 years old, I had pain in a knee and a shoulder. We were a very bad team, ”recalls York, now head coach of the Kemptville 73, a junior A club in Ontario.
And Bergeron, in this group? “Disciplined and very quiet, describes York. I didn’t know he would be this good, but I knew he would have a long career. He didn’t go out, he was on his own at a young age. »
Bergeron was then 21 years old; Suzuki has 22. He was in his third year in the NHL, as the number 14 CH. His team was second to last in goals against; the CH is last. How to prevent such an atrocious season, collectively, from negatively influencing a young person?
“When there are good people in your group, you get away with it. We had Dave Lewis as head coach, Doug Houda as assistant. It didn’t work out for Dave with us, but he was a good coach and a good person. »
And at the Canadiens of 2022? York no longer analyzes the team’s games on Sportsnet, but via the small world of Ottawa hockey, he knows the reputation of Luke Richardson very well. And his son Jack played two seasons with Ryan Suzuki – the little brother – with the Barrie Colts, in the juniors.
“Luke Richardson is one of the best people in hockey. I only hear good things about Martin St-Louis. Nick has a good support network and he comes from a good family. His differential doesn’t worry me at all. It will be good, for a long time. He plays in a bad team, which changed coach during the season. I have zero worries. »
In good company
The differential may be an imperfect measure, but Suzuki does struggle. Games like the one on Saturday, where he was among the culprits that left Alex Ovechkin unguarded, won’t be among his highlights of the season.
Except that there are also mitigating circumstances, such as this possible injury that he seems to be dragging. Suzuki is missing more and more practices, and St. Louis’s vague response to him last week (“We have a lot of bad players”) didn’t dispel suspicion. For what it’s worth, Suzuki still hasn’t missed a single game since joining the NHL.
Nevertheless, more generally, the list of 60-point forwards with a polar differential is not a problem. With the exception of Anders Lee, all of the members of this group have been first-line forwards.
Bergeron and Eichel are the only two who were under 23 in this list. The jury is still out on Eichel’s ability to positively influence a team. As for Bergeron, the cause has been heard for a long time. Never has he concluded another campaign with a negative differential since.
That said, Bergeron was also lucky to have Zdeno Chara as a teammate. The season that followed his – 28, David Krejci moved to Boston. Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand will follow soon after. Tim Thomas came out of nowhere to become one of the great goalkeepers of his time.
Suzuki can take inspiration from Bergeron, if he wishes. But he will also have to hope to be surrounded as well.