The Montreal Canadiens were 10 points out of a playoff spot when the NHL took its indefinite pause, however one bright spot on the team this season was the play of Nick Suzuki.
“I’ve been really impressed with Nick this year,” Canadiens captain Shea Weber told Hockey Central on Monday.
Suzuki had 13 goals and 41 points, which ranked fifth and third, respectively, among rookie forwards.
“He’s taken such a step forward from where he was in training camp last year, as far as his physical aspect,” Weber said. “He put on a little bit of size and strength. He doesn’t get knocked off the puck as easy as he did the year before, but I think the biggest thing about him is his smarts.
“He thinks the game an unbelievable way for a 20-year-old. You know he’s going to be even better just because he works at it, he wants to be better. He’s got that sneaky skill that we see in practice (that) he maybe hasn’t tried as much in games but maybe that will come as he gets more confident and older.”
The London, Ont., native was selected 13th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 before being traded to the Canadiens along with Tomas Tatar in exchange for Max Pacioretty prior to the 2018-19 season.
“He’s able to play both ends and for a 20-year-old forward to have that aspect and that thinking, that maturity, I think that’s a great thing to have,” Weber added.
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