BROSSARD — Nick Suzuki knows playing for Canada at the world championships could double as an Olympic tryout.
The Canadian team has extended the invite. Whether the Montreal Canadiens captain is fit enough to wear the red Maple Leaf next week is still unclear.
“I just gotta get cleared by the team, was pretty banged up down the stretch and into the playoffs,” Suzuki said as the Canadiens cleaned out their lockers Friday. “We'll see what happens."
Suzuki did not elaborate on his injuries, but said he might have rested — and broken a 455-game iron man streak — had the Canadiens clinched a playoff spot sooner. Montreal was eliminated by the Washington Capitals in five physical first-round games Wednesday.
Canada named 15 players to its roster Thursday for the tournament, which starts May 9 in Herning, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden.
Olympic team management has made it clear that worlds participation could influence Canada's roster decisions.
For Suzuki, the chance to skate in the best-on-best tournament at next year’s Winter Games in Milan-Cortina is top of mind.
"How big does it loom? It's pretty big,” he said. “Been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to play in the Olympics. So I'll try to do everything I can.”
The 25-year-old centre chose not to play at last year’s worlds, where Canada finished fourth, and was left off the nation’s roster at February’s 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston.
“Watching the games at home sucked a little bit,” he said, as Canada played two memorable games at Montreal’s Bell Centre. “But it gave me an opportunity to recover and really come out of the gates firing.”
Suzuki used the snub as ‘a little motivation.’ He caught fire after the league returned to action, posting 15 goals and 22 assists — his 37 points ranked fourth in the NHL over that span — to spearhead Montreal’s surge into the playoffs.
The product of London, Ont., finished the season with 89 points, the most by a Canadien since 1995-96, while playing an important two-way role.
Whether he plays at the world championships or not, Suzuki believes he’s made a case to Olympic team general manager Doug Armstrong.
“I've shown what I can do as a player, and really kind of took my game to a different level coming down the stretch into the playoffs,” he said. “If I have a good start next year, I feel like I can put my name in the hat.”
Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson confirmed he’s joining the Canadian team at worlds, while fellow blueliner Kaiden Guhle and goaltender Sam Montembeault will stay home to recover.
Among other nations, forward Juraj Slafkovsky will not represent Slovakia. Winger Cole Caufield and defenceman Lane Hutson are still pondering whether they’ll play for the United States.
Hutson’s younger brother, Cole Hutson, was named to the American team Wednesday.
"Happy for him,” Lane Hutson said. “It's a lot of hockey, and that goes into account, but how many opportunities do you get to represent the country?”
ROLLER-COASTER CAMPAIGN
Patrik Laine’s up-and-down season didn’t end on a high note. The sharpshooting winger was benched for the entire third period of Game 2 against Washington before missing the remainder of the series with an upper-body injury.
He revealed Friday that a fly-by slash in Game 2 broke a finger in his right hand.
“Couldn't really hold onto a stick, which was unfortunate,” he said. “Shooting is kind of what I do.”
The Canadiens acquired Laine last off-season in a trade with Columbus after he underwent shoulder surgery and spent time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for mental health reasons.
Laine missed the first two months of the season with a serious knee injury, but returned Dec. 3 and scored eight goals in his first nine games, flashing his blistering one-timer on the power play.
The 27-year-old finished with 20 goals and 13 assists in 52 games. He scored only once in his final 11 outings, including the playoffs, and struggled to make an impact at 5-on-5. He still defended his play after a difficult previous season.
"You can always play better,” he said. “But when you look at the circumstances that a lot of people don't when they judge you — a guy who hasn't played in a year and was almost going to pretty much retire, came back and had a knee injury right away, and then came back and did what I did this year still, I think I'm pretty happy with that.
“A lot of guys wouldn't have done as well as I did, when you look at the circumstances that weren't easy at all.”
NO SURGERY FOR MONTY
Good news for Canadiens fans: Montembeault won’t need surgery after tearing two of three muscles in his groin, the starting netminder said Friday.
The 28-year-old exited Game 3 against Washington midway through the second period and rookie goalie Jakub Dobes took over in the crease.
“I tried to go back, I thought that I could still play, but really I couldn't move,” Montembeault said.
After playing a career-high 62 games and nearly doubling his previous best with 31 wins, he posted a solid .908 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average in the playoffs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
