Montreal Canadiens

Nick Suzuki Returns Tomorrow: Martin St-Louis Remains Cautious
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Nick Suzuki Returns Tomorrow: Martin St-Louis Remains Cautious
Credit: YouTube / CH

Last night, Nick Suzuki's absence was felt.

We can all agree that the Canadiens' captain might have been able to help his team stem the bleeding if he'd been able to play.

And watching him practice on Monday, we were confident he'd be able to play Tuesday night.

At noon today, Martin St-Louis was asked about the absence of his No. 1 center. And, unsurprisingly, he acknowledged the player's importance to the lineup.

But when asked about his potential return tomorrow night, the coach said he didn't know if that would happen.

Obviously, we suspect the captain is eager to get back on the ice. This morning at practice, the Canadiens' No. 14 put in quite a bit of extra time on his own.

Is this a sign (positive or negative) for tomorrow?

Remember that this morning at practice, Suzuki took Alex Newhook's spot. That had also been the case on Monday, which had pushed Newhook down to the fourth line.

This morning, it was simpler: #15 was given a day of treatment.

If Suzuki were to return to the lineup tomorrow, it stands to reason that Newhook (if he's able to play) would move to the fourth line, so as not to disrupt the lines featuring Jake Evans and Phillip Danault.

And since Kirby Dach started skating again yesterday, we can assume he'll be an option soon.

If the team's 14 forwards (aside from Ivan Demidov, of course) were all available to play tomorrow, decisions would have to be made, and two would have to be left out.

Kirby Dach, Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck (who's finding his stride and doesn't deserve to be left out of the lineup), and Florian Xhekaj are logical candidates at this point.

In Brief

– Bryce Pickford is nearing a return to action.

– Will he leave Vancouver?

– Michael Hage is turning heads with his performances. [NYT]

– Stay tuned.