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Canadiens Forwards Suzuki And Caufield Earn Important Trophies
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- Canadiens Forwards Suzuki And Caufield Earn Important Trophies
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a fantastic season from a rebuilding standpoint. Not only did they qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season, they also made their way to the Eastern Conference Final, a surprising result to say the least.
And now that the team is no longer in the playoffs, two of its most important players have been named the recipients of two illustrious awards.
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Sniper Cole Caufield was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given annually "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."
Essentially, it's awarded to the player who makes a considerable impact on the ice while avoided the ugly stuff that leads to a bevy of time in the penalty box.
Caufield, 25, finished second in NHL scoring with 51 goals in 82 games, but only took seven minors in that stretch, leading to just 14 penalty minutes throughout the regular season.
The Lady Byng used to be considered a 'concerning' trophy, in that some of the players who won it were accused of playing too soft, but there's been a considerable evolution since those days. As we all know, Caufield may not be the biggest player on the ice, but he'll rarely shy away from physical confrontations. He's just excellent at avoiding putting his team in a bad situation.
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Caufield is the third Canadiens player to take home the trophy, with Toe Blake (1946) and Mats Naslund (1988) coming before him.
Suzuki Selke
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki was given the Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded annually "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."
This is one of the most sought-after accolades in the league, and given that many of the past winners were not in the running this year, there was bound to be a new winner.
Between 2021 and 2025, the trophy was captured by either Sasha Barkov, a three-time winner, or Patrice Bergeron, a six-time winner.
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In a sense, Suzuki is being handed the torch by the older generation, though it must be said that Barkov missed most of the season with a terrible knee injury.
Regardless, Suzuki seized his chance, putting together a dominant season at both ends of the rink.
Not only did he reach 101 points, a career high, he established dominant numbers on Montreal's first line. We'll delve more into his individual production once we publish his player card, which should be on Friday afternoon, but suffice it to say that he's one of the few Canadiens players who managed to maintain positive underlying numbers.
Simply put, while Suzuki was on the ice, his team controlled the shots, scoring chances, and goals. Much of that had to do with his excellent defensive acumen. When he wasn't on the ice, opposing teams usually controlled the pace of the game.
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I always argue that Lane Hutson is the player who helped the Montreal Canadiens reach the next level in their rebuild, but Suzuki is the engine that drives all things Habs related.
Without him, the team goes nowhere.
Suzuki is the third Canadiens player to win the Selke, and the first to do it since Guy Carbonneau (1988, 1989, 1992). The award was inaugurated in 1978, and was awarded to winger Bob Gainey in four consecutive seasons 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981).
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