Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki enjoyed the type of season that silenced much of the contrived criticism sent his way in recent years.
On top of finishing sixth among NHL centres in points, with 30 goals and 59 assists, Suzuki also finished sixth in Goals Above Replacement (GAR), trailing only Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, Aliaksei Protas, and Sam Reinhart.
Not only is it clear that Suzuki has cemented his place among No.1 centres, you could make a very strong argument that he finished the year among the top 10 centres in the league.
It should also be noted he finished almost 20 points ahead of linemate Cole Caufield (37 G, 33 A), connoting that he continues to lead the Habs by example, the type of leadership that commands respect rather than demanding respect.
On that note, the 2025 Selke votes demonstrate there’s still a lot of work to be done before Suzuki will be considered among the top defensive centres in the league, but his presence on the list is yet more evidence that his impact in the Canadiens lineup should not be overlooked.
For the second year in a row, Suzuki received enough votes to be listed with the top 15 NHL players in consideration for the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the forward in the NHL who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov won the trophy for the third time in the last five years, with retired centre Patrice Bergeron winning it in 2022 and 2023.
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The Selke Trophy was not necessarily invented just to celebrate Montreal Canadiens legend Bob Gainey’s impact on the NHL, however, the fact that he won it the first year it was awarded (1978), as well as the next three seasons, goes to show the importance of NHL players who have the ability to shut down elite forwards.
Take Guy Carbonneau, for example. He was the last Canadiens player to win the award (1988, 1989, 1992), doing so while facing some of the best players in NHL history, such as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Carbonneau is often credited with shutting down Gretzky in the final four games of the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, the last time a Canadian team managed to bring home the most beautiful trophy in sports.