It wasn't all rosy for Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki to start the 2024-2025 season; it was a slow start, which kept him off Team Canada's squad at the mid-season Four Nations Face-Off.
Looking back at it now, it was more important for Suzuki to shift his focus to steering the Habs' ship smoothly through the 82-game NHL regular season schedule. If you look at the four rosters from the international tournament, many teams were directly impacted by ailments picked up at the Four Nations Face-Off.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were brought back to play slowly with their respective teams (Florida and Ottawa), which is a big loss for any amount of time, but especially when their organizations have high prospects for their Stanley Cup playoff runs.
Back to Suzuki, who has been steady Eddy for the Habs, managing to play another 82-game season. No. 14 would benefit from the rest, and an offseason spent training after taking some time away from hockey to recalibrate should do the London, Ontario native wonders.
After a successful season, culminating in a five-game series against the Washington Capitals, Suzuki and the Habs still have room for improvement, and Suzuki's health and wellness will go a long way in helping the team reach their potential. Pushing further next year into the Stanley Cup playoffs is the expectation, and the top guys will be leaned on heavily to help the team transition from wildcard hopefuls to playoff contenders.
There is no question that Suzuki wanted to participate and throw his hat in the ring for a role on Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics. He and Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, two guys from the Toronto area, drafted in the 2017 NHL Draft, just seven picks apart, are head-to-head for one role.
Thomas is a bit ahead, but Suzuki's focus on the Habs and staying healthy is admirable, and arguably more important than representing his country. I mean that in a way that shouldn't discredit what it means to pull on the sweater with a red maple leaf on it.
I just mean that Suzuki's focus on the Stanley Cup is exactly where it should be, but a hot start out of the gate for the 2025-26 campaign could put him on Hockey Canada's radar early. Head coach Jon Cooper loves the Tampa Bay flavor, so a combination of Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel is a safe bet to be invited alongside Brayden Point.
With that in mind, however, Cooper knows Suzuki well, the 2021 Cup final isn't that far away, and Suzuki was given major props by Cooper in the post-series handshake line.
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