Nick Suzuki

No NHL club finished with a worse record a season ago than the Canadiens, but Montreal's struggles allowed Suzuki to get a ton of playing time and he ran with the opportunity. Suzuki played in all 82 games, posting career highs in goals (21), assists (40), points (61), shots on goal (186) and power-play points (20). Suzuki's minus-29 rating was horrifying, but that should revert back to the mean this coming year assuming the Habs improve as a team. After all, they can't be any worse. Suzuki will play this entire year at age 23, so there could very easily be some more offensive production forthcoming for the No. 13 overall pick from 2017.

Suzuki stormed out of the gates in 2020-21, reaching the scoresheet in each of his first seven games and nine of his first 10. By season's end, he had matched his rookie point total of 41 (despite playing in 15 fewer games) while tallying a career-high 15 goals. Suzuki followed it up with a strong postseason performance, collecting 16 points in 22 contests and displaying terrific chemistry with diminutive dynamo Cole Caufield. Now the unquestioned No. 1 center in Montreal, Suzuki appears poised to take another significant leap in his third year.

Suzuki played pretty well as a 20-year-old rookie in 2019-20, notching 13 goals, 28 assists and 14 power-play points in 71 regular-season contests before adding four goals and seven points in 10 games during Montreal's brief playoff run. His role should grow somewhat substantially in his second full NHL season - he's expected to center the Canadiens' first line and top power-play unit to open the campaign - which should lead to a noticeable boost in his rate of production. A 16-plus goal, 50-plus point pace with substantial power-play production is definitely on the table for Suzuki in 2020-21, making him worthy of a mid-to-late round pick in this year's fantasy drafts.

Suzuki finished off a successful 2018-19 campaign in style, racking up 16 goals and 42 points in 24 playoff games with the Guelph Storm en route to an OHL championship. The Canadiens' top prospect was named playoff MVP for his efforts. The 2017 first-round pick also enjoyed a fantastic regular season, notching 94 points in 59 games split between the Storm and Owen Sound. Suzuki will turn 20 in August, so the juniors will be in his rearview mirror in 2019-20. He's expected to take his game to AHL Laval where he and fellow prospect Ryan Poehling will anchor the Rocket's offense. He'll probably remain at center for the majority of the upcoming campaign, but may be asked to play the wing if the big club is in need of reinforcements up front. Suzuki is likely still a year away from fantasy relevancy, but he should be owned in all dynasty leagues, and will be worth a waiver claim in redraft formats as a potential spot starter if and when he's called up to the show.

Suzuki racked up an impressive 100 points in 64 outings for OHL Owen Sound last season and appeared ready to compete for a spot in the Vegas roster. Instead, the versatile forward finds himself shipped off to Montreal, where he will almost certainly have to move to wing -- something he is more than capable of -- in order to break into the lineup. Despite his upside, the youngster will likely start the year in the minors with AHL Laval, but don't be surprised to see him earn his NHL debut at some point this season.