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When the Montreal Canadiens chose to finally turn a page by committing to a rebuild several years ago, a greatly underappreciated aspect of the multi-year plan was finding the right leader to guide the team through the most complex project in the modern sports landscape.

Ultimately, many franchises have decided to break down the studs to rebuild, but some have managed to stick to the plan given all the vagaries involved in roster construction.

That’s why September 12, 2022 can be considered one of the most important days in Canadiens franchise history. No, they did not capture their 25th Stanley Cup, nor did they defeat their rivals in the playoff round, or in any other traditional competition, which would be considered a significant step forward.

Rather, incoming general manager Kent Hughes named Nick Suzuki as team captain, making him the youngest Habs player to wear the ‘C’ on his chest.

Nick Suzuki Brass Tacks

The NHL on Wednesday named Suzuki as a finalist for the Selke Trophy, given annually to the forward who displays the most skill in the defensive component of the game.

He joins fellow finalists Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Brock Nelson (Colorado Avalanche), a situation that would guarantee a first-time winner.

In the past, Sasha Barkov (2021, 2024, 2025) and Patrice Bergeron (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023) have monopolized the trophy, but the latter has retired, and the former missed the entirety of the 2025–26 season, leaving room for a new best defensive forward in the NHL. The door opened.

Suzuki is considered the favorite to take home the trophy, and not just because he reached the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. He managed to score 29 assists and 72 assists in 82 games, making it the fifth consecutive season in which he managed to improve his production.

You could argue it’s Suzuki’s The way to work: Continuous improvement across the board. In addition to improving his scoring each year, Suzuki has strengthened his defensive game, and was the centerpiece of one of the most impressive lines in the NHL in 2025-26.

Playing alongside Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkowski, Suzuki managed to control over 55 percent of the shots at 5v5. More impressively, they scored 33 goals while only allowing opponents 14 goals, good for 70% control of all goals during the regular season. Their expected goals were also good at 56%.

team-wide movement

Whether or not Suzuki takes home the grand prize, the fact that the Montreal Canadiens are back in the news as having one of the best individuals, as well as one of the league’s best young teams, is emblematic of an encouraging season.

Caufield will have a chance to take home the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, while first-year player Ivan Demidov is in the running for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s best freshman.

And the Canadiens are still playing meaningful playoff hockey, confirming that not only has Suzuki led them through a very difficult rebuild, but his leadership has also made sure the Habs are ready for more potential talent down the road.

After all, Montreal is a city full of hockey landmines that can send the Canadiens locker room into disarray in an instant. To get an idea of ​​how poor management and weak leadership can affect results, take a look at Canada’s two closest NHL cities.

The Canadiens are enjoying one of the most encouraging rebuilds in NHL history, and perhaps more importantly, thanks to Nick Suzuki’s leadership, a void of the usual drama.

Thus, it is fair to suggest that his excellence goes far beyond his play on the ice.

All Nick Suzuki and Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Miami Heat will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, with the team looking to bounce back from a poor performance on Tuesday, which saw them lose 128-117 to the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo. As the Heat look to avoid the play-in tournament for this season, head coach Erik Spoelstra will talk about the pressures associated with the team.

Thursday’s game has some postseason implications, as Miami is the eighth seed with a 31-28 record, with Philadelphia (32-26) holding the coveted sixth seed, which is the last spot a team can get to avoid the play-in tournament. Although there are still 23 games left, the Heat must turn a corner and get a win, which made Tuesday’s loss to the underdog Bucks all the more painful, especially as Miami had its three-game winning streak snapped.

When Spoelstra was asked about the pressure on the team, he shared his latest feelings with tennis legend Billie Jean King.

According to the Miami Herald, when asked about the pressure on Miami due to avoiding the play-in tournament, Spoelstra said, “Okay. I hope so.” “That pressure is a privilege, and I want our locker room to feel that pressure. We need to take our game to a higher level.”

Norman Powell explains where the Heat “messed up”

While the Heat’s goal for the remainder of the season is to build some stability to peak at the right time, it needs to start on Thursday, as a win over the 76ers will give them the tiebreaker, something that could be important for seeding purposes. However, the team needs to be better than it was Tuesday, especially defensively, to allow Milwaukee to have offensive success without Antetokounmpo.

Miami also struggled offensively, allowing a 30-point quarter in the first half and a 39-point period in the final frame, making no field goals in the final six and a half minutes of the game. Norman Powell will still call the defense the Heat’s fault.

“Honestly, we didn’t get enough stops,” Powell said after scoring 26 points. “They kept going back to the same play. And a lot of times we messed up. Sometimes we were able to get it right, sometimes we weren’t. And I think they were able to be successful in that, and they had confidence. And they started making plays consistently, and we just didn’t get the stops we needed.”

Spoelstra will mention how the defense needs to travel in these important road games, as the team looks to live up to that notion for Thursday’s tilt against the 76ers.

The Los Angeles Lakers decided to commemorate the extensive NBA legacy of Pat Riley by unveiling a statue of him before their game against the Boston Celtics. As part of his speech, Riley made sure to encourage the Lakers to “kick some Boston.”

However, with the game going the other direction, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had a funny reaction when he learned what Riley had actually said.

“Did he really? It’s awesome,” Mazzulla responded with a smile on his face, clearly pleased with his team’s day of work, according to a clip posted on

Joe Mazzulla was upset that he missed telling Pat Riley that he wanted to beat the Celtics:

“that’s awesome.” pic.twitter.com/hzfBgwPgBw

– Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) 23 February 2026

According to a clip on X by Oh No He Didn’t, Riley initially said, “Time to kick some Boston ass.”

Pat Riley: “It’s time to kick some ass in Boston”

celtics vs lakers tonight hahahahapic.twitter.com/VdjsW50kbL

– Oh no, he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) 22 February 2026

Of course, it was the Celtics who did this instead of the Lakers. The 111–89 victory was defined by a two-man offensive explosion from Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard, who combined for 62 points and 16 assists.

Brown, who also earned MVP endorsement from LeBron James after his performance, returned with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Pritchard returned with 30 points on 10-14 shooting with a total of six three-pointers. The Celtics held the Lakers to 39.1% shooting and just 30% shooting from three, despite the Lakers starting Big 3 of LeBron, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.

And while the game was largely one-sided, the outcome brought some historic positives for James. The 41-year-old became the first player in NBA history to surpass 43,000 regular season points in his 1,600th career game.

Still, Luka Doncic top-scored for the Lakers, scoring 25 points and five rebounds, while Reaves finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Despite this, the Lakers suffered from an overall poor shooting night, going just 66.6% from the free throw line, and they had only themselves to blame for the loss.