There was a time when few could foresee the Montreal Canadiens winning a trade in which they sent Max Pacioretty away. Even fewer would have envisioned a scenario where they didn’t get the player they wanted — Marc Bergevin had reportedly insisted on Cody Glass — and still win.
It turns out that is precisely what happened. Even if you forget the rest of the assets involved in that fateful trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, the addition of Nick Suzuki alone could be considered a win. He has been a top-five scorer on the team every year he’s played, leading the team outright last year and during their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final a year ago.