"Decent reasoning" "What an imbecile": Habs fans debate Nick Suzuki's lowball projection for next season by Matt Larkin

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki will enter his sixth season in the NHL. While Suzuki put up decent numbers last season, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin does not think the Habs captain can outdo himself in the next.

In 2023–24, Suzuki scored 77 points in the regular season, which came from 33 goals and 44 assists. He recorded a plus-minus of -14 while appearing in all 82 regular-season games. Larkin put forward a bold assessment of the Habs captain’s offensive output in his write-up for the Daily Faceoff.

“Given his two-way mentality and responsibilities on the ice, I don’t expect him to peak higher than that, but he maintains a nice floor because he plays 21 minutes a night,” Larkin wrote.

The X account of the Habs on Reddit tweeted a segment of the NHL analyst’s write-up, drawing mixed reactions from fans. They captioned the tweet:

“Matt Larkin of the Daily Faceoff doesn’t believe Nick Suzuki can score more than 77 points in a season 🤔”

Fans were quick to react to the post. They let their opinions be known in the comments section.

Following are some fan reactions from X/Twitter:

“He actually has decent reasoning, but he probably doesn't realize he's gonna be playing with a healthy Caufield and a breakout Slaf. 80 is definitely reachable next season.”

“Don't see why he can't go PPG or top off at 85 points. Will largely depend on his linemates showing up every night and how the PP connects all year,” opined one fan.

“Even though I don’t agree, I can see why he thinks that, Suzuki had a baller year, with a very high S% of 17.8%, it means he had a good/lucky year for goals, so it is possible to think he could still get better in the assist department, but his goals go down and he stays still,” wrote another user.

Most fans believed the Habs captain could do better in 2024–25. They argued that Suzuki, who had scored 77 points last season, could cross the 80-point threshold quite easily.

“What an imbecile lol. If the PP si slightly better and the Habs win more games, he easily gets 5 more pts trought pp pts or empty netters. And frankly, a 10 pts difference doesn't mean shit nowadays.”

“Suzuki not putting up more than 77 points also means Caufield and Slaf have reached their peak. LOL couldn’t be more wrong,” quipped one user.

“He actually has decent reasoning, but he probably doesn't realize he's gonna be playing with a healthy Caufield and a breakout Slaf. 80 is definitely reachable next season,” opined one fan.

---

Matt Ohayon believes Nick Suzuki doesn’t get the ‘respect he deserves'

Earlier this week, Stu Cowan and Matt Ohayon talked about the Habs captain’s contributions to his team in an episode of "The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro." They both felt that Suzuki wasn't getting the recognition he deserved in the NHL.

Ohayon mentioned that Suzuki may not be on the same level as top stars like Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, or Sidney Crosby, but he still believes Suzuki should be recognized as a strong top-line center.

“I think overall as a player, he doesn't get the respect he deserves around the league,” Ohayon said.

Ohayon pointed out that Suzuki deserves to be in the conversation for being a top "1B" center or at least a solid middle-of-the-pack top-line player.

The Habs captain will now be looking to regroup with the Canadiens this offseason and build towards a title-winning campaign in 2024–25.