Player Discussion Nick Suzuki Part 11

[Mandalorian]

he's been on shit teams though, so it's hard to really say what he is. Also we'll see what the cap does in a few years in relation to where his cap would need to be in order to be a bargain.

I agree, in year 4+ of his contract it could turn out to be the average paid price for non-elite 1st line center. But for now and his play, it's a little bit rich. There is plenty of example of center providing the same level of play than he does for lesser cap hit. Montreal paid for potential like New Jersey did with Hughes.

 

[Adam Michaels]

 

[Canadienna]

Tough choice between him and Caufield for most disappointing young player this year.

Before someone jumps down my throat, he's been on a 20 point pace since Remembrance Day.

Whether or not he's been playing with great linemates and coaching (he hasn't) he's been regularly given the best available opportunities.

 

[montreal]

Tough choice between him and Caufield for most disappointing young player this year.

Before someone jumps down my throat, he's been on a 20 point pace since Remembrance Day.

Whether or not he's been playing with great linemates and coaching (he hasn't) he's been regularly given the best available opportunities.

there's nothing tough about it, it's not even close, Caufield played 30 games last year and had 8 goals, in 26 games this year he has 1. That's beyond terrible. I would have bet my life savings that wouldn't even be possible, that someone with his shot would have only 1 goal after 26 games. At least Suzuki is leading the team in scoring, that says something, way more then 1 goal Cole.

I'm a big fan of both but what is happening with Caufield is really hard to understand. It's like KK and his 2 assists in his 2nd year. At least he had injuries to take some of the blame. But when your bread and butter is your shot and you have just 1 goal in over a quarter of the season, or your bread and butter is playmaking and you have just 2 assists in almost half a season, that's highly troubling. Doesn't mean they won't bounce back but when they can't do the thing that got them to the NHL in the first place, it's concerning.

 

[MasterD]

I don't know how people can be surprised at Suzuki's production.

We have no transition game from the D, the only one supposed to provide it was Petry and he's played all season like an ECHL player.

The team has been destroyed by injuries and now COVID. He's been playing on an AHL team for weeks.

He's a slower, cerebral player, and we give him slow skating wingers when he needs speedsters.

Our PP coach is horrendous.

He's been put in a position to fail, big contract or not.

 

[Captain Mountain]

there's nothing tough about it, it's not even close, Caufield played 30 games last year and had 8 goals, in 26 games this year he has 1. That's beyond terrible. I would have bet my life savings that wouldn't even be possible, that someone with his shot would have only 1 goal after 26 games. At least Suzuki is leading the team in scoring, that says something, way more then 1 goal Cole.

I'm a big fan of both but what is happening with Caufield is really hard to understand. It's like KK and his 2 assists in his 2nd year. At least he had injuries to take some of the blame. But when your bread and butter is your shot and you have just 1 goal in over a quarter of the season, or your bread and butter is playmaking and you have just 2 assists in almost half a season, that's highly troubling. Doesn't mean they won't bounce back but when they can't do the thing that got them to the NHL in the first place, it's concerning.

He needs to start attacking the net a little more to help create space for himself, but Caufield has gotten incredibly unlucky (only Gallagher has underperformed his expected goals more, but Caufield's shot is his bread and butter). Teams have adjusted to Caufield somewhat and he's not playing on a team where he's going to play with anyone that will create space for him, he needs to do it himself.

I think we have to kind of take a step back when evaluating team performance this season. The Habs system is either really bad or not being executed at all, the roster was always poorly constructed, and its really hard to tell who's under-performing more vs. being put in a no-win situation more.

 

[montreal]

He needs to start attacking the net a little more to help create space for himself, but Caufield has gotten incredibly unlucky (only Gallagher has underperformed his expected goals more, but Caufield's shot is his bread and butter). Teams have adjusted to Caufield somewhat and he's not playing on a team where he's going to play with anyone that will create space for him, he needs to do it himself.

I think we have to kind of take a step back when evaluating team performance this season. The Habs system is either really bad or not being executed at all, the roster was always poorly constructed, and its really hard to tell who's under-performing more vs. being put in a no-win situation more.

agreed 100%, you just have to chalk up this season as a loss and forget about it. See what direction Gorton takes us in, who's behind the bench next season and beyond, what kind of system will they deploy, how much improvement can they make on the blueline in the coming years, etc....

I have full confidence in both Suzuki and Caufield, just that it's troubling to see him with just 1 goal and you have to worry how it could be impacting him mentally at least to some degree. At least he's picked up some assists lately.

 

[Mandalorian]

Nick Suzuki at the all-star game? Will be interesting to see what he can do while playing with actual elite NHL player.

 

[Koivu11]

 

[Canadienna]

Hopefully spending time with the top guys will rub off on Suzuki. Glad he was chosen and it was the only logical pick from the Habs.

Seems he made it over Kucherov, Barkov, Stamkos, Marner, Tavares and Marchand. Let alone Ekblad, Raymond, Point etc. A little odd I guess..



Atlantic Division (All-Star appearances)

F Drake Batherson, OTT (1st)
F Patrice Bergeron, BOS (3rd)
F Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA (2nd)
F Dylan Larkin, DET (2nd)
F Auston Matthews, TOR (4th)*
F Nick Suzuki, MTL (1st)
D Rasmus Dahlin, BUF (1st)
D Victor Hedman, TBL (3rd)
G Jack Campbell, TOR (1st)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (4th)

 

[Captain97]

Next season he should be the 19th-20th most paid center in the league . Is he a top 20 center in the league yet tho? If his development is stagnant (unlikely, he is a smart guy that will put in the work I'm sure to improve), his contract will be questionable.

But I think Suz has 65-70 points potential, elite in his own end so if his development follows a normal curve, it shouldn't turn to be bad. But if he doesn't improve from his current form, he will be overpaid by 1.5-2M$, since 1B/2A C are usually paid around 5.5-6M$ (see Larkin, Reinhart, Scheifle, Monahan, Forsberg, Scheen, Staal, Hertl, etc.) .

Those contracts are 5.5-6 anymore. Scheifle is a steal of a contract now and Hertl should be getting a huge raise this year. ~7 million is the price for a good 2C/1b centre now.

 

[marvelousmotion]

I wouldn't put too much weight on his performance this season. It's sad but Ducharme has implemented a culture of complacency on this team. The whole team plays in a way that reflects their coach's image.

I'm not worried about Suzuki's abilities. He already proved that he's at his best and can elevate his play when games matter the most. He was by far the team's best forward in both playoffs runs and was the one who stepped up his play late last season to help the team hold on to that playoffs spot. He was also the only forward on the team who could keep up with Tampa's best players and generate anything offensively during the finals.

I'm just afraid that the young players will be affected mentally and could pick up bad habits if they stay too long in such a losing culture. This team solely lacks the leadership and accountability that a Weber or Perry brought to the locker room last year. Bergevin's off-season acquisitions (i.e. Hoffman and Wideman) are not the type of players you want to surround your young players with in that type of environment, especially under a coach that does not command respect.

 

[shamrun]

I wouldn't put too much weight on his performance this season. It's sad but Ducharme has implemented a culture of complacency on this team. The whole team plays in a way that reflects their coach's image.

I'm not worried about Suzuki's abilities. He already proved that he's at his best and can elevate his play when games matter the most. He was by far the team's best forward in both playoffs runs and was the one who stepped up his play late last season to help the team hold on to that playoffs spot. He was also the only forward on the team who could keep up with Tampa's best players and generate anything offensively during the finals.

I'm just afraid that the young players will be affected mentally and could pick up bad habits if they stay too long in such a losing culture. This team solely lacks the leadership and accountability that a Weber or Perry brought to the locker room last year. Bergevin's off-season acquisitions (i.e. Hoffman and Wideman) are not the type of players you want to surround your young players with in that type of environment, especially under a coach that does not command respect.

I am not a fan of ducharme but in his defense the team is using him as a scapegoat. Drouin was all in his face during a practice. That to me screams of "I know you will be gone so i dont have to respect you".
Players are losing too many one on one puck battles to blame the coach. X and O's can only go as far as the effort the guys are putting on the ice.

Suzuki will be fine. We just need to surround talent with talent.

 

[maryannshabs]

Habs need to play Caufield with Suzuki, who at best is a #2 center.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I dont get it are people dissapointed in Suzuki this year or something? What were you guys expecting Have you seen the team? kid is fine lol

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Edit : Love hearing the announcer choke up and call the worst OT goal call of all time lol Leafsnet in shambles good times

 

[JoelWarlord]

Edit : Love hearing the announcer choke up and call the worst OT goal call of all time lol Leafsnet in shambles good times

Lol yeah that call is horrible. Some great Suzuki moments last playoffs

 

[marvelousmotion]

I am not a fan of ducharme but in his defense the team is using him as a scapegoat. Drouin was all in his face during a practice. That to me screams of "I know you will be gone so i dont have to respect you".
Players are losing too many one on one puck battles to blame the coach. X and O's can only go as far as the effort the guys are putting on the ice.

Suzuki will be fine. We just need to surround talent with talent.

I do have empathy towards Ducharme the person, but not the coach. I'll refer to the old saying "When a few selected students fail on a test, it's likely on the students. But when the whole class is failing test after test, it's not just on the students; you also have to question the teacher".

It is part of Ducharme's role as a coach to maximize his players' productivity and effort on the ice. It's also part of his role to foster respect and accountability on his team.

 

[JJ68]

Nick Suzuki at the all-star game? Will be interesting to see what he can do while playing with actual elite NHL player.

nobody plays defense and it's what 3 on 3.....what do you think that's gonna tell you? Not hockey.

 

[Mandalorian]

nobody plays defense and it's what 3 on 3.....what do you think that's gonna tell you? Not hockey.

It's going to be interesting to see if he can keep pace with them and not look out of place, or dare I say even score some goals or get some nice assists.

 

[WickedPegJets]

I agree, in year 4+ of his contract it could turn out to be the average paid price for non-elite 1st line center. But for now and his play, it's a little bit rich. There is plenty of example of center providing the same level of play than he does for lesser cap hit. Montreal paid for potential like New Jersey did with Hughes.

This 2021-2022 season is a honeymoon for Suzuki still. Starting this Fall is when the pressure to produce will be cranked up due to the beginning of his new 8-year, $63 M contract.

 

[Hector Salamanca]

Habs need to play Caufield with Suzuki, who at best is a #2 center.

"At best" cmon now lol

 

[Gyfu]

Nick Suzuki at the all-star game? Will be interesting to see what he can do while playing with actual elite NHL player.

Well he as the skills for an event like that if you ask me, let's not judge him too fast, playing for a shitty team for a player like him (or any other good player on a shit ass team for what it's worth) Kid is an excellent nhler, he's an incredible player that plays with less than great teammates in the crappiest of season's... A lot changed since last year and it shows but to say Zuk doesn't deserve an all star spot kinda sucks considering everything habs related lately, i was never a big fan of that crap where every nhl team had an all star player... Some player's were never meant to be all stars but Suzuki is the toolsiest, most skilled player on this shit team... The way the nhl puts it, he deserves that spot imo and he's got the skills to make it fun

 

[Scriptor]

Those contracts are 5.5-6 anymore. Scheifle is a steal of a contract now and Hertl should be getting a huge raise this year. ~7 million is the price for a good 2C/1b centre now.

Pettersson is getting 7.35M and he,'s a .84 PPG player. Suzuki will be getting more and he's a .62 PPG player only a year younger than Pettersson.

I guess we can shave off .20 PPG just because it's Montreal and offense has not been the calling card for the Habs in eons?

Would you offer the Montreal first round pick, unprotected, a 2nd round pick, a 3rd round pick, Romanov and Dvorak for Pettersson?

Would they even consider it?

A C-line of Pettersson - Suzuki (right spot) - Poehling - Evans starts looking interesting.

Drouin - Pettersson - Toffoli
Hoffman - Suzuki - Gallagher
Anderson - Poehling - Caufield
Lehkonen - Evans - Armia
Ylonen, Pitlick

Byron bought out to fall under the Cap.

Edmundson - Petry
Harris - Savard
Guhle - Kostenko
Clague

Price
Primeau

Allen traded to fall under the cap ceiling.

 

[Heffyhoof]

My only complaint would be that Suzuki seems to give up at times and play lazy, but when basically all the older higher paid veterans are phoning the season in, hard to blame the leading scorer for not carrying even more of the offense on his shoulders.