Oct 23, 2026 7:30 PM
Playing without Nick Suzuki won't be easy for the Montreal Canadiens, but a few players could seize this big opportunity to shine, such as Juraj Slafkovsky.
With Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki out for the next two to four weeks, almost everyone has been wondering who will fill in at first-line center. Based on Thursday’s practice, Oliver Kapanen should start in that role tonight when Montreal takes on the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. However, no single player can replace a core piece like Suzuki.
Last season, when Juraj Slafkovski moved off the first line and into the second alongside Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, we discovered a new side to the big Slovak. A willingness to step into a bigger role and carry the play. Along those lines, Slafkovsky realized he could be more than just the third wheel to the Suzuki-Cole Caufield tandem. He took charge, led the play, and carried the puck into the zone.
Of course, this time around is different: Demidov isn’t there; he hasn’t even traveled with the team for the start of their road trip, but Caufield, the team’s best sniper, is. While the American winger is not the Russian wonder, he’s no slouch. He’s a dangerous scorer who can beat the goaltender in many ways, and good things can and will happen if you feed him the puck properly.
As for Kapanen, he's proven he can score in this league; he got 22 goals in his rookie season. Granted, he did that alongside Demidov, but the duo he could be skating with tonight scored 161 points last season.
If the Canadiens see Suzuki’s absence as an opportunity to step up rather than an insurmountable problem, they should get through it relatively unscathed. One player doesn’t make a whole team, and since the Habs only recalled Owen Beck from the Laval Rocket, Mike Matheson returns tonight, and Florian Xhekaj shouldn’t be far behind. Their return would help offset the loss of Suzuki, and both took part in Thursday's practice.
When the puck drops on the Habs-Hawks duel tonight, several Canadiens will have a chance to be the “next-man-up,” as Martin St-Louis put it. Will they rise to the challenge? Time will tell.
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