Nick Suzuki out 2-4 weeks, iron man streak ends at 546
TLDR: Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki will miss 2-4 weeks with an upper-body injury after blocking a shot with his hand, ending a streak of 546 straight NHL games.
The first sign something was off came from the Habs beat, a day before Montreal made it official.
Only 12 healthy forwards right now, so makes sense. One thing I can’t help but wonder about, though, is if Nick Suzuki is alright. He blocked a shot with his hand Tuesday and was unavailable to speak because he was receiving treatment post-game. Habs practise at 11:30, but I’m en route to airport to get to Chi.
Eric Engels had it right. Suzuki blocked a shot with his hand on Tuesday and couldn't talk after the game because he was getting treatment. On Thursday the Canadiens announced the upper-body injury and the 2-4 week timeline, and recalled Owen Beck from the Laval Rocket to fill the hole.
The iron man streak for Suzuki ends at 546 games. Has never missed an NHL game before,
That's the part that hurts. Suzuki had never missed an NHL game. Not one. 546 straight was second among active players, behind only Brent Burns of the Avalanche, and Pro Hockey Rumors has it as the 20th-longest run in league history. In a sport where guys sit for a tweaked groin or a maintenance day, the captain just kept showing up, and it took a puck to the hand to stop him.
The timing is brutal too. Suzuki was carrying the offense, leading Montreal with 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) through 9 games. He was also playing huge minutes, averaging 21:47 a night, which put him among the most-used forwards in the league. The Habs sit at 4-3-2 and have been giving up goals, so losing their top-line center and best 2-way forward is about as bad as it gets for a team trying to stay in the race.
Then there's the depth problem. Engels pointed out Montreal was down to 12 healthy forwards, so calling someone up was required, not optional. Beck is the 22-year-old 2022 second-rounder who already had a cup of coffee this season, a 2-game call-up about 10 days ago where he didn't score and played limited minutes. Don't expect him to replace Suzuki. The real issue is everybody behind Suzuki moving up a slot, and whoever takes those top-line center minutes is about to get a crash course.
What to watch next: who centers the top line, whether Beck gets real minutes this time, and whether the short end of that 2-4 week window is realistic for a hand injury. If Suzuki is back in 2 weeks, Montreal survives this. If it's 4, a 4-3-2 start can go downhill fast. The streak is over either way, and it was a hell of a run.
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