Habs confirm the worst for captain Nick Suzuki

It's the kind of news no Canadiens fan wanted to hear this early in the season. Montreal has been rolling through the first couple weeks of the 2026-27 campaign with their captain leading the charge, but now the Habs are going to have to figure things out without their most important player for a significant stretch. On Thursday, the team made it official, and the update was about as bad as anyone feared.

The Canadiens announced that Nick Suzuki will miss two to four weeks due to an upper-body injury. The club shared the update on X but offered no additional details about the nature of the ailment. What we do know is that this marks the first time Suzuki will miss a game in his entire NHL career, bringing his remarkable ironman streak to a halt at 546 consecutive regular-season games.

A Streak That Spanned an Entire Career

Suzuki hadn't missed a single contest since debuting with the Canadiens during the 2019-20 season. Every game, every night, for over six full seasons, the 27-year-old centre was in the lineup. That streak ranked as the second-longest active run in the NHL, trailing only Colorado's Brent Burns, who sits at a staggering 1,017 games. It also placed Suzuki 20th on the all-time list in league history. Detroit's Alex DeBrincat, at 465 straight games, now holds the second-longest active streak.

Originally selected 13th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 draft, Suzuki never suited up for Vegas. He was shipped to Montreal as part of the Max Pacioretty trade in September 2018, and the rest has been nothing but consistency and growth. Over his career, Suzuki has racked up 488 regular-season points, including 172 goals and 316 assists. He's also been a force in the postseason, posting 41 points across 56 playoff games.

Last season was the best of his career. Suzuki posted 101 points with 29 goals and 72 assists, finished plus-37, and took home the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward. He carried that momentum into 2026-27, putting up five goals and 12 points through the first nine games before the injury struck.

What Happened and What Comes Next

The injury appears to have occurred during Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. Suzuki played a full 21 minutes in the game, recording a goal and an assist. Reports indicate he blocked a shot with his hand during the contest but did not leave the ice. However, he notably skipped his usual post-game media availability, which raised red flags immediately.

Now the Habs have to adjust on the fly. The team recalled centre Owen Beck from the AHL's Laval Rocket on Thursday. Beck has appeared in two games with Montreal this season but has yet to register a point. It's a tall order asking anyone to fill the void left by a player of Suzuki's caliber, but the Canadiens will need contributions up and down the lineup during his absence.

Montreal heads to Chicago on Friday night to take on the Blackhawks, and for the first time since Suzuki arrived in the NHL, his name won't be on the lineup card. How the Habs navigate the next few weeks without their captain and top-line centre could go a long way in shaping their early-season trajectory.