Canadiens Captain Nick Suzuki’s 3 Defining Moments of the 2023-24 Season

His goal-scoring pace went up in the last two seasons because the quality of his wingers has also improved. Case in point; Caufield; the small winger became a better passer this season, he didn’t always go for the shot and often found Suzuki in the right spot. This also made the Canadiens’ power play a lot less predictable.

On his other wing, as the season passed, Juraj Slafkovsky improved by leaps and bounds, and it seemed like the game slowed down for him. When he received the puck, he didn’t feel like he had a timebomb in his hands. He took the time to look up and assess the situation, choosing the best option.

I doubt it will take Suzuki another 353 games to reach the 200-goal mark. As the Canadiens’ rebuild goes forward, Montreal’s power play should become much more potent. If Lane Hutson’s game translates well to the NHL, it’s hard not to imagine the mobile defenseman dancing along the blue line and finding the opportunities to set up his linemates.

Suzuki Won His Third Molson Cup

Each year, the Molson Cup is awarded to the player who was the most remarkable throughout the season on the Canadian teams. After each game, three stars are selected and it’s through those three-star selections that players are awarded points toward the Molson Cup. In 2023-24, and for a third year in a row, the captain won the Molson Cup with the Canadiens. He’s still a long way from Guy Lafleur’s six Molson Cups in a row, but he’s catching up to Carey Price’s five and Jose Theodore’s four. Price has, however, won a total of nine Molson Cups in his 15 seasons with the team. Considering Price was seriously injured in three of the remaining seasons, there are only three in which he played but didn’t win.

At 24 years old, the path to many more Molson Cups is wide open in front of Suzuki, but if Kent Hughes succeeds in his rebuild, there should be plenty of competition for their obtention. Pieces are already starting to fit in nicely in Montreal with a solid first line, another quality center in Kirby Dach, Hutson is knocking at the NHL’s door, and Kaiden Guhle was named player of the game for Team Canada at the World Championship on Tuesday (May 14).

For so many years, this trophy could have been named the “Carey Price Cup”, but those were the days the Canadiens were riding Price’s coattails praying and hoping their goaltender would somehow carry them to the playoffs and win a Stanley Cup even though there was no one to score goals.

For Suzuki, the latest season was an unmitigated success on the individual front, setting new personal bests for goals, assists, and points. Of course, the ultimate goal remains to win the Stanley Cup, but in the meantime, there’s no harm in becoming a more complete player who challenges himself to improve at both ends of the ice.