If growth was the theme of the Montreal Canadiens’ last season, the key word for the next campaign, which will begin in a few weeks, could well be continuity. At least that’s the analysis that Nick Suzuki draws.
The captain was in the city with Cole Caufield on Tuesday to take part in an activity to promote the Presidents Cup, a PGA tournament that will take place at the Royal Montreal Golf Club at the end of September.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The eternal Caufield-Suzuki duo has swapped hockey sticks for golf sticks and the ice of the Bell Centre for the lawn of the Royal Montreal.
Unless a major trade is made in the coming weeks, it’s safe to assume that the lineup that will be deployed for the Oct. 9 opener will be similar, if not nearly identical, to the one that wrapped up the season last April. The obvious exception is Kirby Dach, who missed 80 games with a serious knee injury.
“Honestly, I think it’s good to have that continuity from last year,” Suzuki said during a brief media scrum after he beat Caufield in a three-hole friendly.
“With Kirby coming back, it’s like we’ve added a top forward on the free agent market,” he continued. “Everyone is excited to come back to camp, to have this continuity in the playing systems. We know what Martin St-Louis expects.”
We don’t have to integrate new elements for new guys, we’ll all be on the same wavelength. I think the transition to the regular season will be seamless.
Nick Suzuki, captain of the Montreal Canadiens
This position is in line with that of general manager Kent Hughes who, to partly justify his decision not to have been aggressive at the opening of the free agent market, on 1er last July, had invoked the “organic growth” of the young group in place for two years.
The theme of continuity was implicit, if only in light of the Canadiens’ offseason so far. In the first round of the draft in late June, the organization selected Russian Ivan Demidov fifth overall, an electrifying forward to be sure, but one who won’t make the jump to North America for at least a year.
The only notable addition was Alex Barre-Boulet, who is expected to play in the American League. Only marginal players (Tanner Pearson, Colin White) or those who seemed to have lost their place in the lineup (Jesse Ylonen, Johnathan Kovacevic) were released or traded.
Consolidation
The summer of 2024 will have been more of a consolidation one. Forward Juraj Slafkovsky and defenseman Kaiden Guhle, two key pieces of the club’s rebuild, signed eight- and six-year deals, respectively, that will kick in in 2025-26. On a smaller scale, defensemen Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron signed modest two-year deals as they continue to find their feet in the NHL.
“We’re really excited for them,” Suzuki enthused. “They’re four young guys who have shown us a lot. It’s good to know we have a core that will allow us to build for the long term. Everything worked out well for us this summer.”
Consolidation is good, but we still have to move forward. The next step for the Habs, as we can well imagine, will be to reach the playoffs. The team’s management has already spoken of its desire to be “in the mix” in the spring of 2025, a vague expression that presumes a rapprochement between the qualified teams, without however quantifying it.
Optimistic, Suzuki assures that he will attack the season “with the intention of participating in the series.”
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Nick Suzuki
Every year you want to climb that mountain and get to the top. We’ve made some big steps in the right direction, and I think we’re just going to continue to make more steps as this group matures.
Nick Suzuki, captain of the Montreal Canadiens
A cynical mind might recall that after seasons concluded at 32e28e and 28e ranks in the general standings, the CH can essentially only improve. This will be easier said than done, within an Atlantic division where the competition will still be fierce. If this bet is won, it will however be because the one of continuity will have worked.
Unless, of course, something happens that radically changes the narrative that is emerging for training camp.
The Demidov Effect
The frenzy that Ivan Demidov’s selection has caused among fans seems to be shared by the players. Immediately after the Russian became a member of the Bleu-blanc-rouge, a few of his new teammates, including Cole Caufield, reached out to him via text message to greet him. “It’s cool to see his highlights, everyone should be excited about a player like that,” the forward said. “We are, at least.”