Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki and goaltender Jakub Dobeš during a matchup against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 12, 2025. Photo by Jenn G.
Written by Derrik Maguire
Nick Suzuki’s absence due to an upper-body injury brought his streak of 546 consecutive games played to an end. For the Montreal Canadiens captain, the end of that streak is more than the loss of a personal milestone. It highlights the consistency and all-around impact that have made Suzuki one of Montreal’s most important players.
Since his debut in the 2019-20 season, Suzuki had not missed a regular-season game, while also appearing in all 56 of the Canadiens’ playoff games during that stretch. His 546-game regular-season streak left him just 14 games shy of Doug Jarvis’ 560 consecutive games played with the Canadiens, part of Jarvis’ then-NHL-record streak of 964 consecutive games played in his career.
As impressive as his ironman streak is, Suzuki’s value goes beyond his durability. He recorded 101 points last season, finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting, and won the Selke Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defensive forward. Those accomplishments illustrate Suzuki’s impact at both ends of the ice, allowing him to contribute at an elite level in all three zones.
In hockey, the biggest stars are often defined by their game-breaking abilities. Players like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon fit that mold to a tee, with their speed, creativity, and offensive skill changing games at a moment’s notice. They bring fans out of their seats and create countless social media highlights. However, another type of player can make just as strong an impact without producing those highlight-reel moments. Those players are game-wreckers.
A game-wrecker can influence play across the entire ice, disrupting opponents while controlling play through positioning, awareness, and smart, responsible decision-making. Although the game-breaking and game-wrecking categories are not mutually exclusive, Suzuki’s Selke win recognizes the defensive side of his game and strengthens the case that he is one of the NHL’s best game-wrecking forwards. While game-wreckers are primarily defined by their defensive impact, Suzuki pairs that ability with elite offensive production.
That combination of skills is much harder to appreciate through highlights alone. A spectacular goal is easy to isolate and share across social media, TV recaps, and highlight reels. Meanwhile, a smart, well-timed defensive read that prevents a dangerous scoring chance rarely receives the same level of attention. However, Suzuki’s two-way impact is no less significant simply because every contribution does not show up in highlight reels or box scores.
Over the next couple of weeks, Montreal will be without more than just an important contributor. The Canadiens will also be missing their captain, whose consistency and responsibility across different roles have defined his career so far. Replacing Suzuki’s contributions will require a team effort, as his true value comes from performing several roles at an exceptional level night after night.
Without Suzuki, the Canadiens must determine who can take key faceoffs, fill his role on the power play, and handle matchups against opponents’ top lines. His average ice time of 21:47 is more than five minutes higher than that of Phillip Danault, the next-highest among Canadiens centers, and more than two and a half minutes higher than that of Cole Caufield, the next-highest among Canadiens forwards.
The end of Suzuki’s ironman streak marks the conclusion of an extraordinary run for one of the NHL’s best game-wrecking forwards. His impact might not always be captured on a highlight reel, but the challenge Montreal faces without him demonstrates how difficult it is to replace a player whose influence extends across the entire ice.
