Oliver Kapanen replaces Nick Suzuki on the first line

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Oliver Kapanen replaces Nick Suzuki on the first line
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Nick Suzuki will miss several weeks of action. That's THE big news of the day in Montreal.

Naturally, we're wondering how the Canadiens will replace him. Who will be the first-line center tomorrow in the game against Connor Bedard's Blackhawks?

Nick Suzuki has been the team's starting center for several years now.

And today's practice provided some answers. It looks like Oliver Kapanen will be—based on today's practice—Nick Suzuki's replacement tomorrow night.

My colleague Patrick Guillet, who is on site, confirmed this for us.

As you can see, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield are still on the first line. Alex Newhook's and Phillip Danault's trios remain unchanged, which makes sense.

We'll see whether Owen Beck or Florian Xhekaj (who skated with the group this morning) will take Kapanen's spot on the fourth line tomorrow night, alongside Jake Evans and Kirby Dach.

We can all agree that having Kapanen and Newhook as the top two centers isn't ideal. Several guys are going to have to step up… starting with Danault.

But it won't be the same. Without the captain, it's different.

A player like Suzuki can be replaced for a few games (if all goes well), but playing without a first (and second…) center for a while is a whole different story.

Winning games quickly will become important. And for that, having two goalies in top form will be… essential.


Extended Roster

The Canadiens are clearly heading on the road with seven defensemen on the roster, including Mike Matheson. That means the Habs likely have reason to believe the Quebec native is feeling better.

But does that mean he'll play tomorrow?

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