Is Nick Suzuki the NHL’s Most Underrated Center?
Nick Suzuki was never supposed to be this player. He wasn’t supposed to be the captain of one of the NHL’s most iconic franchises at just 23 years old. He wasn’t supposed to carry the weight of a rebuild on his shoulders. And he definitely wasn’t supposed to turn one of the league’s most ridiculed contracts into one of its biggest bargains.
When Montreal traded for him in the Max Pacioretty deal, he was seen as a nice piece — not a franchise cornerstone. When the Canadiens handed him the captaincy, critics laughed, calling him too quiet, too young, too average to lead. When he signed his eight-year extension, analysts branded it one of the league’s worst contracts.
But here we are today. Nick Suzuki is producing like a legitimate number-one center, anchoring a rebuilding Canadiens roster, and finding himself ranked among the top ten centers in the league. And yet, outside of Montreal, he still doesn’t generate the same buzz as names like Jack Eichel, Aleksander Barkov, or Dylan Larkin.
So that leads to the big question: is Nick Suzuki still one of the NHL’s most underrated centers? To answer that, we need to revisit his path — the doubts, the contract debate, his rise as captain, and how he stacks up against the league’s best.
23 Comments
he improves every season, good in playoffs, clutch, can carry a team, good leader, 30 goal scorer, 60 assist playmaker, future selke winner, 90 point player, he can reach barkov's talent and become a top ten player in the league
basically the giannis antetokounmpo of the nhl
this guy is a man of steel, never missed a game in his life. thats worth at least 10 more point lol, so he's basically a 100 point 2 way player
he was our top foward in point production during our 2021 stanley cup run, at only 21 years old, and he was our top foward during the 2020 bubble playoffs, at 20 years old.
at the trade deadline, he told our gm kent hughes not to trade/sell anyone in our team (savard, dvorak, armia). Kent told him ok but to prove him that it would be the good decision. Suzuki proceeded to score 13 points in the next 5 games.
Suzy is underrated but won’t be after he breaks 100 pts this season. GHG
Suzuki is a force to be reckoned with.
Many might not notice the subtlety of his game, but I strongly relate to his ''quiet force'' vibe.
Truly a ''if you know, you know'' player, and that's perfect this way!
SHEA WAIVER????
Why are there so many Montreal videos on this channel
Bros been “underrated” for like 5 years now, considering this past 90 PT year, and elite 2 way game, it’s safe to say he is a bonafide 1C, and likely slips in to the top 10 center in the league conversation at this point.
He is also signed at 7.8 Million for the next 5 years!
Also worth noting, over his 6 season NHL career, Suzuki has never missed a game, period.
455 straight regular season games + 37 playoff games in there too without a night off
3rd highest games played streak among active players
Dude is made of steel.
Suzuki is the guy that can make a play that looks like a whole lot of nothing into a goal the most often
Brady Takachuk 😀
Saint Nick ❤️
It might get harder for him now that he's being compared to that top tier of centres, but I think he's improved a bit. He can still lead a team, and I think Montreal makes the playoffs again with him being that consistent force
Hes a clutch captain that leads by example. Never injured, tough as nails, very high iq and his decision making never fails. He can be very flashy, but he won't try to be most of the time. Just an efficient player. The 200 play is what gets him on my top list.
Shea WAYBUR
what buzz does larkin generates lol
Awesome video, the only thing I would say is that it would have been cool to put some of Suzuki’s highlight reel assists, that is what he is probably best at!
Why are you dissing Caufield and Slafkovsky like that? That's not a weak supporting cast at all. It's one of the best first line in the entire league :P. I guess you could argue that since Habs second line isn't all that great, he's able to produce with his trio despite facing the strongest defensive opposition every night.
“Shay Wayber”
critics… 🤣🤣🤣
Pacioretti just retired… while Suzuki got another 10 years of elite hockey ahead of him… in 10 years we will read that this was the BEST TRADE EVER MADE by the MTL Canadiens…
As a Montréal Canadiens i Nevers jizz in m'y pants since kovalez