On September 10, 2018, the Vegas Golden Knights traded Nick Suzuki to the Montreal Canadiens as part of a deal for Max Pacioretty. How did it impact the team? How has Suzuki done away from the Golden Knights?
Sometimes, a team needs a game-breaking player to push them over the top. When they have a solid group that falls short of the ultimate goal, you search for the one superstar who will change the team’s trajectory. Eventually, the Vegas Golden Knights got such a star in Jack Eichel, who turned into a clutch playoff performer.
However, he wasn’t the first attempt at such a move. The Golden Knights traded then-prospect Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, and a 2019 second-round NHL Draft pick to the Montreal Canadiens. The target acquisition? Max Pacioretty, who posted four straight seasons of 30+ goals between 2013-14 and 2016-17.
At the time, it made sense. The winger had a terrific shot that went with his incredible speed, making him a threat. Plus, Pacioretty did whatever it took to score a goal, whether it was tip-in’s or shots from the point. This was supposed to be the move that sent the franchise to the top, finishing the story told from a year prior.
He actually did well with Vegas, scoring 97 goals and 97 assists in four seasons. But they didn’t win a Stanley Cup during his stay, let alone make the Stanley Cup Final. Therefore, he was sent to the Carolina Hurricanes with Dylan Coghlan for future considerations. That led to the newest Hurricane accusing the Golden Knights of not having accountability regarding losing. Also, I wonder what happened to that “future considerations” fellow?
Anyways, let’s look at the other side with Suzuki and see how it impacted Vegas in the long term. Did it help them build a formidable team moving forward? Or was the trade a short-term move that led to a shortage of viable wingers and centers (at least, on paper)? Let’s dive into the trade and the basics.
A breakdown of Nick Suzuki and his current career with the Canadiens
Overall, Nick Suzuki has done well in his Canadian home, serving as a focal point of a young team. He’s scored 108 career goals and 178 career assists in five seasons, where he’s evolved into a brilliant playmaker. That included a breakout campaign in 2023-24 when he scored 33 goals and 44 assists. Suzuki might not be the biggest player on the ice. However, that doesn’t stop him from leading a Canadiens offense ready to take the next step.
Before he was traded to Montreal, Suzuki was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. The center spent his amateur career being the de facto leader for the Owen Sound Attack, scoring 129 goals and 150 assists in four seasons with the club. He also won the William Hanley Trophy three times in the OHL, cementing himself as the most sportsmanlike player in the league.
There have been other honors during his amateur career, including a Second All-Star Team (2017) and Third All-Star Team (2019). That made him an appealing first-round pick that the Golden Knights couldn’t pass up. The team would develop him into a key member of the offense, where he would serve as a solid two-way center. Of course, that wasn’t the case when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season and needed that big piece to get them over the top.
Nick Suzuki’s revenge against the Vegas Golden Knights
It’s 2021 and all 31 NHL teams are stuck in a proverbial bubble. The pandemic is still leaving fans inside their homes (for the most part) and the divisions have temporarily shifted to accommodate travel schedules. The Canadian teams are clustered into a seven-team division because of COVID restrictions.
Coincidentally, the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens met up in a semifinal matchup. Vegas represented the West Division while Montreal represented the North Division. Carey Price was unstoppable during this Stanley Cup Playoffs installment, stymieing superstars such as Auston Matthews. After having an average regular season, he suddenly posted a GAA of 2.28 and a save percentage of .924 that year. It was the perfect chance for Nick Suzuki to exact his revenge on the team who traded him, facing Max Pacioretty and the Golden Knights.
He hurt his former club during the series, scoring a goal and four assists. That lone goal came in Game 5, which swung the momentum in Montreal’s favor. He and Cole Caufield led them to the Stanley Cup Final, where they’d lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. Still, Suzuki defeated the franchise that drafted him. Plus, the Golden Knights would bring home the Stanley Cup a couple of seasons later, forgetting about that fateful semifinal upset.
The overall impact of the Max Pacioretty and Nick Suzuki trade
In the short term, the Max Pacioretty trade helped the Vegas Golden Knights. They got their superstar goal-scorer who had a booming shot and speed to boot. It continued an ongoing legacy of being a formidable playoff team. In fact, they won the Stanley Cup a season after trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes.
However, they’re stuck with an older roster that lost numerous offensive pieces during the summer. The Golden Knights lost notable stars such as Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, leaving them lighter in their top six. Granted, in-house players like Pavel Dorofeyev have emerged as viable options. There have also been key players such as Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl entering the picture. However, the team has dealt with the harsh reality of finding balance within the salary cap. They could’ve used a player like Suzuki to fill in a slot.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens have a good young core to build around, with Nick Suzuki and Caufield at the forefront. With newer pieces like Juraj Slafkovsky entering the picture, they’re ready to take the next step. The only problem is Montreal plays in a tough Atlantic Division that features the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. When teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are also roaming around, that makes building a viable franchise rough.
Still, there are some positives to this situation. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23 and offloaded Pacioretty. They have their franchise center in Jack Eichel and are still Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders. Meanwhile, Montreal hasn’t made the playoffs since that Cinderella run, with the team sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Sometimes, life has a funny way of working things out.
