worm
Well-known member
One or two. Yes.
Habs Season Thread: 2024-25 Regular Season
- Thread starter Habsy
- Start date
One or two. Yes.
Won’t happen and you know it. Half season, max.
lecoqsportif
Well-known member
Montembault better be ready for forwards crashing his space.
GGpX
Well-known member
60 points, give or take, and a second line center, in the NHL. Yup.
worm
Well-known member
Maybe but that wasn't the question.
wiseguy1
Well-known member
He was built like a tank.
I loved it when he went to hit Lindros and bounced
WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou
I will get banned again soon, worry not.
What if, during that half season in the AHL, he proves to be too small to play effectively against the big boys? He may be there awhile. He may play his entire career there.
Habsy
Not playing around anymore.
They called him cube for more than his last name.
legoalie
LeAdminie
His ceiling is higher, he is proving that this year alone, i think 75ish to 85 pts a year .. he is a number 1 center on this team.
GGpX
Well-known member
He is a number one center on this team... by default. The same way Samuel Montembault's a #1. They're #1s because they happen to be playing for one of the worst teams in the league.
On a championship caliber team, though? The only championship caliber team in the league where he'd be the #1 center is Bawstun. Every other team vying to win the Cup, he's their #2 or #3. ESPN had a poll with players & executives, Suzuki didn't receive a single vote: https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/in...top-centers-players-execs-vote-best-2023-2024
Not that it's the end-all-be-all, as I would take him over a couple of players that got votes. But he's still around the 20th best center in the league.
I get why some people think he's a real #1, though. We've been so offensively starved for the last 30 years that we've lowered expectations.
Suzuki's unfortunately going through the exact same career path as Saku Koivu. A nice center that is expected to be a #1, but he just isn't.
On a championship caliber team, though? The only championship caliber team in the league where he'd be the #1 center is Bawstun. Every other team vying to win the Cup, he's their #2 or #3. ESPN had a poll with players & executives, Suzuki didn't receive a single vote: https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/in...top-centers-players-execs-vote-best-2023-2024
Not that it's the end-all-be-all, as I would take him over a couple of players that got votes. But he's still around the 20th best center in the league.
I get why some people think he's a real #1, though. We've been so offensively starved for the last 30 years that we've lowered expectations.
Suzuki's unfortunately going through the exact same career path as Saku Koivu. A nice center that is expected to be a #1, but he just isn't.
Half his points are on the PP which is fine but need more 5/5
GrandWazoo
Well-known member
Is the question whether he’s a top 10 center in the league (most definitely no) or a #1 center in the league (arguably yes).
There is no true definition of #1 center and for some it means franchise center, for others it might be PPG center.
Whether we could win a Cup with him as our #1 is a big depends on the rest of the roster.
GGpX
Well-known member
Everyone's definition varies, but I've always had strict definitions.
Some people say there are 31 teams, therefore there needs to be 31 players that can be considered #1 centers. I find that too be entirely too simplistic. The same way in the NFL, there are technically 32 starting quarterbacks, but there's maybe 22 to 24 of them that are good enough to be starting year over year, and at least 8 to 10 of those players would be thrown to the wayside the second shit goes south.
Some people say there are 31 teams, therefore there needs to be 31 players that can be considered #1 centers. I find that too be entirely too simplistic. The same way in the NFL, there are technically 32 starting quarterbacks, but there's maybe 22 to 24 of them that are good enough to be starting year over year, and at least 8 to 10 of those players would be thrown to the wayside the second shit goes south.
GGpX
Well-known member
The winning a Cup part is tricky, because there's a lot of ways to look at it.
Do I think we could win a Cup with Suzuki as the #1 center on your team? Sure, but you better have a hell of a team around him.
I don't think we can win a Cup if he's your #1 center and de facto best forward. I see Suzuki almost exactly the same way I see Saku Koivu, honestly. And what was the most common criticism during Koivu's tenure here? Asked to do too much beyond what he's capable of because he's not properly slotted.
GrandWazoo
Well-known member
One big problem with Koivu is that he was tiny, in an era where size mattered, and always injured. Suzuki is big enough, and I think he has higher ceiling than Koivu.
I'm fine splitting #1 centers in 3 tiers, and we could do more but for the sake of simplifying things, you'll have your first tier, franchise centers, which would be roughly the top 10 centers in the league, then the next tier, #1 centers but not elite, which would be roughly in the 10-20 range, and then the last one would #1 centers by default, so roughly 20+ range. With his play recently, there is arguments to be made that he might have entered the second tier.
I'm fine splitting #1 centers in 3 tiers, and we could do more but for the sake of simplifying things, you'll have your first tier, franchise centers, which would be roughly the top 10 centers in the league, then the next tier, #1 centers but not elite, which would be roughly in the 10-20 range, and then the last one would #1 centers by default, so roughly 20+ range. With his play recently, there is arguments to be made that he might have entered the second tier.
