Nick Suzuki and the Montreal Canadiens missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. However, they have made some intriguing moves this offseason to secure the future of the franchise. And their most notable move — trading for Patrik Laine in a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets — could see success come back to the French Canadian hockey hotbed sooner rather than later.
Laine adds a lot of offensive firepower to Montreal’s top six, provided he remains healthy. But he is not the only member of the team returning to the ice. Kirby Dach is set to return after the Canadiens center missed most of last season with a brutal knee injury.
All of this has given the Canadiens confidence that their team can surprise people in the year ahead. Juraj Slafkovsky expressed his excitement about the upcoming season recently. And Suzuki made a rather bold claim about the team’s playoff chances in 2024-25 on Thursday.
“I think we can beat anybody,” Suzuki said Thursday, according to The Athletic. “I thought last year we competed against really good teams all the time. We’re still a young group, but with the addition of (Laine), and (Kirby Dach) coming back up front, it makes our forward unit look pretty scary… I think we can definitely make (the playoffs).”
Nick Suzuki, Canadiens hope to progress in 2024-25
The Canadiens are in a rebuilding state at this time. However, it wasn’t too long ago that Nick Suzuki and his team competed on the league’s biggest stage. Montreal made its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1993 when they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2021. Unfortunately, Montreal lost in five games.
All this said, the Habs are looking to show progress in the year ahead. After three consecutive last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division, something has to give. Coupled with getting Dach back and signing the likes of Kaiden Guhle and Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal believes adding Laine to the fold puts the finishing touches on its core group of forwards.
Suzuki agrees with the trade for Laine, as he expressed on Thursday. The Canadiens captain said that the former second-overall pick is excited to get going. And his arrival gives Montreal a lot of options when rolling through its lines.
“It definitely helps us out (as a top line),” he said, via The Athletic. “Having two really good offensive lines is always good, and even our third and fourth line, the depth that we have up front is pretty special, to be honest. I’m really confident in all the guys in the room.”
