In the midst of their second full rebuild year, the Montreal Canadiens are not having a great season. With that said, there are a few bright spots.
While the Canadiens hover around the bottom of the NHL’s standings, certain players continue to excel in their position despite the club’s underwhelming results.
In fact, Montreal has not one, not two, but three separate players (not counting rookies) set to finish the current campaign with a career-best season.
Nick Suzuki
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki seems to do just about everything right on a consistent basis.
And while he’s been a dependable figure for quite some team, suiting up for all 82 teams for the past two seasons, the 24-year-old is on track to hit a career-high in points, already netting 53 over 57 games.
On top of that, a slight bump in Suzuki’s production could see him hit the 80-point mark this year — a Habs feat that was last achieved by Alex Kovalev back in 2007-08.
Career high: 20 goals, 33 assists, 66 points
Projected: 29 goals, 47 assists, 76 points
Cole Caufield
While many had him slated to hit 40 goals this season, Habs winger Cole Caufield hit a major slump around the quarter-mark of the year.
However, the 23-year-old seemed to get his game back in mid-January, going on a tear that saw him net eight goals and 18 points in a 14-game span.
Before sustaining a shoulder injury, Caufield was on pace for 64 points last year. But with a sample size of only 46 games, it’s hard to say where exactly his season was going.
If he continues at his current pace, he should attain that this time around, making it the most productive season of his career.
Career high: 23 goals, 20 assists, 43 points
Projected: 27 goals, 37 assists, 64 points
Mike Matheson
Not only is defenceman Mike Matheson on pace for a terrific year but he’s already surpassed his season point total high with over 30 games to spare.
With 42 points so far, he’s currently 10th on the NHL’s leaderboard for defencemen.
Up until now, the highest total achieved by the former Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins blueliner was 34 points, proving that Matheson has taken a major step forward in his second Canadiens showing.
If he hits his predicted 61-point mark, the 29-year-old will have logged a more productive season offensively than the likes of PK Subban and Serge Savard ever did in a Canadiens jersey.
Career high: eight goals, 26 assists, 34 points
Projected: 12 goals, 49 assists, 61 points
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