Nick Suzuki Talks About The Canadiens Moves This Off-Season
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S. HarperAugust 30, 2022 (1:55 PM)
The Montreal Canadiens have been a very active team this off-season as they look to continue to deconstruct the franchise after a disappointing last place finish last season.
One thing the Canadiens need to do is find a new captain after the Shea Weber was unable to return due to injury and was traded to Las Vegas for Evgenii Dadonov. One player seems to come to mind when it comes to mind to many Habs fans when it comes to our new captain and that's Nick Suzuki.
Suzuki has steadily become the number one center this team has desperately needed since Saku Koivu's departure. Suzuki was the key piece the Canadiens wanted when they traded away former captain Max Pacoritty.
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Suzuki has been training hard to help the Canadiens hopefully have a better 2022-23 season. In a recent interview Suzuki would talk possibly about all the moves his General Manager Kent Hughes made since being named Gm in Montreal and believes the Canadiens will surprise alot of people this season.
"We've got a pretty deep team and I think people are really underestimating us.," he says. "That's not a bad thing, either. I think it's everyone's goal heading into the season to play every game," Nick Suzuki said after practice Monday in Brossard.«I think I'm most excited about kind of proving people wrong,» Suzuki said during a one-on-one video interview Monday. «I think people have really put us down. I was actually talking to (Sean) Monahan about our lineup. We've got a pretty deep team and I think people are really underestimating us. That's not a bad thing, either. I think we're going to surprise people.»
Suzuki would praise the Canadiens new General Manager Kent Hughes and the moves he's made so far:
«He has seemed to make a lot of strategic moves,» Suzuki said about Hughes. «We've lost a few great guys in the room, guys that I got pretty close with. But I think the team and the direction that we're heading right now is really promising and I think the fans and the players see that. They definitely have a big plan ahead for us and we're just kind of riding the wave there.»
Suzuki is also excited about head coach Martin St. Louis having a full training camp after taking over from Dominique Ducharme midway through last season.
«This is around the time where it picks up a lot more,» Suzuki said about his training. «You want to get in game shape as quick as possible. Camp's still going to be hard, but the more you do before it's going to help you out a ton. This is brand-new my first time. I just got on with BioSteel this summer, actually.»
On the possibility of Slafkovsky becoming his linemate, along with Cole Caufield:
«We've been training together (Suzuki and Slafkovsky) for the last couple of weeks, skating together. So it's been a lot of fun getting to know him and all the other prospects. He's a great guy he's a lot of fun to be around. On the ice he's a lot bigger than I imagined. I think he's doing the right things. He's working really hard so he's going to come into camp pretty ready and we'll see how that shapes up for the lines.
«The one thing that I really noticed is that he likes to pass. He's not looking to just shoot the puck every time. He wants to make plays, he wants to get to the net. So I think that would complement us really well. Obviously, we're all going to have to play good for Marty to put us on a line together, so we'll see what happens in the future."
- Nick Suzuki
On the possibility of Slafkovsky becoming his linemate, along with Cole Caufield:
«We've been training together (Suzuki and Slafkovsky) for the last couple of weeks, skating together. So it's been a lot of fun getting to know him and all the other prospects. He's a great guy he's a lot of fun to be around. On the ice he's a lot bigger than I imagined. I think he's doing the right things. He's working really hard so he's going to come into camp pretty ready and we'll see how that shapes up for the lines.
«The one thing that I really noticed is that he likes to pass. He's not looking to just shoot the puck every time. He wants to make plays, he wants to get to the net. So I think that would complement us really well. Obviously, we're all going to have to play good for Marty to put us on a line together, so we'll see what happens in the future."
- Nick Suzuki
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