Nick Suzuki talks chase for Olympic spot, Canadiens hype

LAS VEGAS - Nick Suzuki, fueled by both the international opportunity and a chance to play meaningful games at the Bell Centre in Montreal, made his case last September for a spot on Canada's entry in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"I want to be on that team. I've thought about it a lot," said Suzuki, the Montreal Canadiens' captain, at the 2024 NHL/NHLPA player media tour. "I'm a player who can be put in any situation. I can play fourth line. I can shut other guys down."

Spoiler alert: Suzuki wasn't named to Canada, the eventual 4 Nations champion. He instead spent part of the February break in the NHL schedule looking at houses to purchase in his hometown of London, Ontario. He tried to relax but couldn't look away from the 4 Nations spectacle. Then, when NHL action resumed, Suzuki went on a tear, racking up 37 points in 26 games while leading the Canadiens to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

"I definitely came back from that break wanting to prove what I could do," Suzuki said Monday during his return to the annual media tour in Vegas.

Suzuki, 26, looks refreshed coming out of an offseason in which he traveled to Scotland for ex-teammate Joel Edmundson's wedding, got married himself, hosted his annual charity golf tournament, attended Hockey Canada's Olympic orientation camp, and prepared for his seventh NHL season.

Here's what he covered in a sit-down with theScore and other national outlets.

Building off lessons learned

The Canadiens overachieved last season, collecting 91 points despite finishing with a minus-20 goal differential. It's hard to get a firm handle on them heading into 2025-26. On one hand, the underlying numbers suggest regression is likely. On the other, the immense promise in the core, which is being driven by Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and others, cannot be discounted.

"We're still a young team, we still have a lot to learn, but I think the lessons that we got last year were really important for our group," Suzuki said. Jockeying for playoff positioning then battling the Washington Capitals for five playoff games were group experiences to "build off," he added - a stepping stone.

Suzuki set career highs in assists (59) and points (89) and potted the second-most goals of his career (30). He ended up 19 points clear of any teammate and posted strong defensive numbers to earn a pair of Hart Trophy votes. In 12 months, he's gone from 4 Nations long shot to serious Olympic contender.

"Who knows what the Olympic roster is going to look like," he said a week out from NHL camps opening and five months from the Olympic tournament in Italy. "It's definitely on my mind a lot this summer, training, preparing for the season, knowing I need to have a good start to be in consideration."

General manager Kent Hughes added Noah Dobson and Zack Bolduc in summer trades with the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues, respectively. Dobson, a large and dynamic 25-year-old defenseman, will eat up minutes on the right side of the blue line. Bolduc, the lesser known but arguably more intriguing of the two, will throw his body around while chipping in offensively in a top-nine role.

"(Bolduc) brings a lot of jam to his game," Suzuki said. "He's talked about how that's not really his personality, but he's still found a way to stick in the NHL by playing that way. I love that from a young guy who's able to adjust."

The other notable Hughes move came down Friday: Habs legend Carey Price - the goalie's contract, anyway - was traded with a fifth-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks for a minor-league defenseman. "We were content with him going on LTIR, but it definitely helps our cap situation," Suzuki said, sounding like an executive. "I think that'll help us, especially if we are where we want to be at the trade deadline and trying to acquire some (established) guys."

Ivan Demidov arrived from the KHL in April and suited up for seven NHL games. Months later, Suzuki still can't get over two things: fans tracking Demidov's flight to Canada and the Russian winger's rockstar-level talent.

Demidov, a favorite to win the Calder Trophy, doesn't turn 20 until December. Reigning Calder winner Lane Hutson and 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky - two other top-of-the-lineup talents - are 21. Another high pick, 20-year-old David Reinbacher, could see NHL action this year. Challenged to pinpoint a less obvious breakout player, Suzuki chose Kaiden Guhle, 23.

"It's tough to pick one guy, but I think a guy who is a little underappreciated is Guhle," he said of the fourth-year blue-liner. "His defensive game, as a young player, is special. We play Edmonton and he's matched up with Connor McDavid, and with the way Guhle skates, he can defend McDavid so well."

Life in the Atlantic Division

Montreal narrowly beat out the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild card in the Eastern Conference last season. What are Suzuki's expectations for 2025-26? Is claiming one of the three Atlantic Division seeds a realistic goal for the Habs?

"I'd love to do better in the division," he started. "We have the toughest division. Could be biased but ..."

"The Atlantic has a lot of teams that have had success for a long time," Suzuki continued, referring to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Boston Bruins. "Now that a lot of other teams have rebuilt, every team is going to be good this year. I'd love to make the playoffs not in the last game of the season - that'd be cool."

He delivered the last part dryly. Playoff races can be stressful and draining.

Suzuki was also asked for his thoughts on the playoff salary cap, which will come into effect in 2025-26. He quickly noted the Lightning were "$20 million over the cap" (it was actually $18 million) during the Habs' 2021 run to the Stanley Cup Final. In the next breath, he made it clear he wasn't complaining.

"Teams found a way to loophole it. But it wasn't against the rules, so you can't really complain," Suzuki said of clubs regularly jumping past the upper limit in the playoffs, thanks to LTIR rules. "We'll see what even happens, how much different teams are going to look" in the playoffs in future years, he added.

Key decision-makers are reluctant to expand the playoff field beyond 16 teams, but there are some within the sport who favor some kind of tweak, perhaps a play-in setup similar to the NBA's. What does No. 14 think?

"I think it'd be fun," Suzuki said.

"We were fighting with Columbus (late last season) for like two months. If we won, they won. If we lost, they lost. And then they missed by (two points). Us versus them, trying to get the eighth seed through a play-in game, would have been a pretty intense game."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter/X (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).