Nick Suzuki at the Olympics: Doug Armstrong sees him being used in all sorts of ways

Félix Forget
Nick Suzuki at the Olympics: Doug Armstrong sees him being used in all sorts of ways
Credit: NHL.com

It's now official: Nick Suzuki will be wearing Canada's colors at the next Olympic Games. The captain has won his bet, and he really hasn't stolen his place.

After being ignored at the 4 Nations Confrontation, he will finally get his chance to play for Canada.

Suzuki, who obviously learned the news this morning, took the opportunity to record a short video to thank fans for their support in this process. Well done.

But the question now is, what's in store for Suzuki at the Olympics? And on that front, Doug Armstrong provided some answers this lunchtime.

In fact, according to the Team Canada GM, the club knows that Suzuki is capable of wearing many hats. He can be used on the powerplay, shorthanded and 5-on-5.

What we understand, then, is that he's likely to wear many hats.

Armstrong, who also praised the captain's ability to handle the pressure of the Montreal market, seems to see Suzuki as a guy who can really help his club. There's a world in which Suzuki is an extra with Canada, but if his number's called, executives see him as a guy who can play anywhere.

And according to Pierre LeBrun, the process that led to Suzuki's selection is an interesting one. They hesitated for a long time between Suzuki and Bo Horvat… but the two guys kept forcing their hand.

So they took both… and it cost Sam Bennett a job in the end.

If one of the 14 forwards were to suffer an injury between now and the start of the Olympics, Bennett would be the club's first choice to replace him. Because obviously, Canada didn't want to leave him at home: it was Suzuki and Horvat who forced the club's hand.

We'll see what's in store for Suzuki at the next Olympics, but I imagine the captain is breathing a little easier since he heard the news. And he can't have hated hearing Armstrong give him some love, hehe.


Overtime

– Big injuries in Toronto.

– That's defensible.

– Nice read.

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