If there’s one player Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki gets compared to consistently, it’s former Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron.
In fact, despite being behind enemy lines on multiple occasions, the Canadiens centre grew up idolizing the Bruins legend known for his impressive 200-foot game. And the respect is mutual, it seems.
Bergeron, a six-time Selke Trophy winner, assessed Suzuki’s accelerated point pace and two-way game as a guest on BPM Sports on Wednesday, ahead of Boston’s upcoming bout in Montreal.
“I love his attention to detail, his two-way game and his offensive talent,” the 38-year-old said in French. “People are taking notice of his goals and his production but he’s so efficient, he just makes his teammates better.”
The numbers don’t lie either. With 25 goals and 61 points, Suzuki is on pace for a career year. The 24-year-old is also on track to be the first Montreal Canadiens player since Alex Kovalev (2007-2008) to surpass the 80-point mark
He’s still very young and he has a great future,” Bergeron, who announced his retirement last summer, added.
Bergeron is not the only All-Star centre to praise Suzuki’s game as of late, though. Just last week, Nashville Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly compared him to some big names.
“He’s one of the players around the league that I love to watch. Just an incredible player,” O’Reilly said to reporters. “The offensive side, everyone sees, but it’s the little details away from the play, the way he positions himself, and just the way he reads the game. He’s got extreme [hockey] IQ, and he’s just so intelligent.”
“One of my favourite players to watch was [Henrik] Zetterberg, just how smart he was. [Patrice] Bergeron, [Anze] Kopitar, I love watching those guys, and Suzuki’s on pace to becoming one of those guys,” he added.