The simple statement in the headline, that Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is a No. 1 centre in the NHL, was written matter of factly, not to necessarily generate controversy (or page views, although that is the undeniable hope). That this piece will almost just as undeniably elicit strong sentiments on either side of the argument is a reflection of the absurdity of the situation.
Suzuki was the Canadiens’ leading scorer, with career highs in goals (33), assists (44) and points (77). He also centred the top line, between Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, playing 21:16 per game, which was first among all forwards and second only to defenseman Mike Matheson (25:33) on the team, among players who appeared in more than just a handful of games. Logically that makes him a No. 1 centre. By the purest definition of the term, because the Canadiens are a team in the NHL, it also makes him a No. 1 centre in the league.
Suzuki vs. McDavid
This is where things will inevitably get the blood of some people boiling. Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oiler Connor McDavid, both finalists for the 2024 Hart Memorial Trophy to be handed to the most valuable player with 140 and 132 points respectively, are No. 1 centres. Suzuki, with a paltry 77 points, nearly half of MacKinnon’s point total, can’t be so much as considered as being in the same ballpark as either of them. That’s heresy!
Of course, no one is suggesting Suzuki is in the same ballpark as them. There are obviously different tiers here, with Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews ranking third among centres with 107 points, a full 25 less than McDavid (albeit with a league-leading 69 goals to his credit). Based on that last stat, no one would dare question Matthews’ credentials. So, what marks the cut-off point? Where do we put the invisible line separating actual No. 1 centres and wannabes who are No. 1s in name only, sullying the status of everyone in the former group?
It can’t possibly be at No. 4, right? Well, I mean, that would be McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl (106), who would officially be a No. 2 centre on the Oilers, right (despite taking 1,451 faceoffs this past season to McDavid’s 865)? But that’s neither here nor there.
What about No. 5, J.T. Miller (103), who really only established himself as consistent scoring threat upon coming over to the Vancouver Canucks for 2019-20, when he first hit a point per game with a relatively modest 72 in 69 games. He nevertheless (co)led the Canucks in every mainstream offensive category that season. Did he become a No. 1 centre then, when he was 26 going on 27? Or did he graduate to become one, once he hit a certain point plateau?
It’s worth noting, Suzuki will only be turning 25 this summer. Wouldn’t that be a point in his favour? Meanwhile, if it is a gradual/graduation thing, is it really worth splitting hairs over, considering Suzuki has literally improved his production each season in the NHL? That isn’t to say he’s a lock to one day score 100, only that he hasn’t yet hit his peak. So, what’s the purpose of holding him down, with any hypothetical insistence that his inclusion in this unofficial group is an insult to its legitimate members?
Suzuki vs. Barkov
If your head is spinning so far, wait until you get to No. 6: Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, who admirably hit 50 goals (57), while scoring a team-leading 94 points. The problem is, Reinhart actually plays on centre Aleksander Barkov’s wing, to form one of the most productive lines in the entire league (200 or more minutes played).
So, if not Reinhart, surely Barkov must be considered a No. 1 centre instead? Well, he only scored 80 points (73 games), to rank 14th on the official list of the top-scoring centres in the league. So, maybe it’s more of a 32-teams, 32-players situation? Well, Suzuki supporters couldn’t write it any better, as he literally ranks immediately below Barkov at No. 15. Oh, and Suzuki’s line ranks up there too (400 minutes), in case any haters were about to hit the comments section suggesting “that’s the reason Barkov’s a No. 1 and Suzuki isn’t” (from ‘Canadiens exit notebook: Top line’s future, Slafkovský’s growth, Caufield’s shoulder, more,’ The Athletic, April 22, 2024).
Of course, Suzuki’s detractors will immediately point to Barkov’s recent Frank J. Selke Trophy win (his second), as the league’s best defensive forward. That’s proof that, in his case or even that of the recently retired Patrice Bergeron, who regularly won it too, points aren’t all that matters. And, then you point to how Suzuki placed 13th in voting for the award and suddenly the goalposts shift again.
Suzuki’s Resume Keeps Growing
There is the hypothetical argument that Suzuki actually isn’t good defensively (even though he is, from ‘Nick Suzuki’s defensive numbers have improved and Juraj Slafkovsky is a big reason why,’ The Athletic, Jan. 10, 2024) and it’s just perception. After all, perception doesn’t make a player good. His actual on-ice performance does. However, perception is all this entire thing is about, no exaggeration. This is all about labels. Without perception, what’s the point of labels?
Maybe the argument then becomes what does it matter how Suzuki is labelled as a result? Well, it matters, because he deserves respect, when he was largely seen as only making the All-Star Game (his third for the record) on a technicality, because every team must be represented. He deserves respect for consistently one-upping himself from a production standpoint, when he scored a then-career-high 66 points in 2022-23 despite a revolving door of linemates resulting from the team’s ongoing, bordering-on-hilarious parade onto the injured reserve list.
That season, the team’s third-most-used line was literally Suzuki between bottom-six mainstays Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylonen, who combined for 18 points this season (104 games). However, playing with Suzuki, Harvey-Pinard scored an undeniably impressive 14 goals in 34 games, which ranked ninth among all rookies (with everyone above him having played at least 25 more games). And isn’t that a clear-cut sign someone’s maybe a No. 1 centre, because of how they’re able to make their linemates better, significantly so in Suzuki’s case?
Honestly, the fact he’s one of the NHL’s active leaders in most consecutive games played, and was in a position to carry both Harvey-Pinard and Ylonen in the first place is another reason he deserves respect in the face of record-setting stretches of man-games lost to injury. All on its own, no, that doesn’t make him a No. 1 centre. Taking it altogether though, any suggestion Suzuki hasn’t been the solution to the team’s literal decades-long search for a legitimate top pivot has to be considered contrarian at its core. It gets to the point where people just want to be difficult.
Ditto for any suggestion Suzuki’s current eight-year, $63 million contract is an overpayment. In a league that is infamous for the huge contracts one-time stars sign headed into the twilight of their careers (hell, on a team that’s guilty of the same offense), it’s a breath of fresh air for Suzuki (and Caufield after him) to get paid for what’s still to come.
It’s not even a case of Suzuki having had to grow into the contract. Despite arguments to the contrary, Suzuki was never overpaid. Considering the calibre of teams he’s been on, he’s always lived up to if not exceeded expectations, which is in large part why any reluctance to give him his due is hard to understand.
Suzuki Can Be a No. 1 Centre on a Contender
No one can or should be able to fault him for being unable to lead the Canadiens to the playoffs, based on the teams he’s captained in the recent past. That’s more so an issue due to an overall lack of elite talent than it is a reflection of his leadership or ability to contribute in big-game situations. Not for nothing, but, in the 2020-21 playoffs, he led the Canadiens in goals (seven), assists (nine) and points, as the Habs made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
If you want to compare him unfavourably to a McDavid, that’s fine. Just make sure to give him the benefit of a Draisaitl so it’s an even playing field. Maybe in such an instance, Suzuki would end up playing second fiddle to whomever, as detractors often argue he’d be a third-line centre on a contending team or something to that effect. However, seeing as the top-seeded Panthers are one of four remaining teams (so, contenders by any reasonable definition), and Barkov has already been established as a non-100-point player, is that argument even close to as legitimate as Suzuki’s claim on No. 1-centre status?
Really, the Oilers are the only surviving team for which that argument holds true. Suzuki outscored every Dallas Stars centre during the regular season. He tied the New York Rangers’ top-scoring pivot in Vincent Trocheck with 77 points, getting the edge with 33 goals compared to 25. So, any argument that Suzuki falls short as a No. 1 centre is akin to saying you don’t need one to win it all, which runs counter to effectively everything hockey fans know to be true. But, hey, we’re helping to shatter illusions one by one today, so why not one more for the road?
Know this, too: Suzuki is legit. True, he’s not the best of the best, not by any stretch. However, he is a deserving all star, who’s only getting better and will continue to as the team around him improves too. As the Habs’ rebuild progresses, he’s proven himself to be the player to lead them into the playoffs when the time is right… atop the Canadiens lineup.
