The Montreal Canadiens have an elite NHL center, and a new league ranking may have undersold just how high their captain belongs.
NHL Network released its annual list of the top 20 centers on Aug. 24, placing Nick Suzuki ninth.
The ranking represents another step forward after Suzuki landed at No. 10 a year ago, but his 2025-26 action gives Montreal a fair argument that he could have climbed even further.
That case becomes particularly interesting one spot above him.
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews landed at No. 8 despite coming off the least productive season of his NHL career.
For Suzuki, the debate is less about whether he belongs among the league’s elite centers. Where should the line have been drawn in this ranking following a career year?
Suzuki Put Together an Elite Two-Way Season
GettyRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 29: Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montréal Canadiens shoots the puck against Frederik Andersen #31 of the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 29, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Suzuki forced a top-10 ranking from the NHL Network after setting career highs with 101 points and 72 assists in 82 games. He also scored 29 goals, finished plus-37 and recorded 43 power-play points, which was good for second in the NHL.
The Canadiens captain then added 16 points in 19 playoff games as Montreal advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
His offensive breakout came alongside another major accomplishment — the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. He received 151 first-place votes on 198 ballots and finishing with 1,726 voting points. Runner-up Anthony Cirelli finished with 467.
One of the strongest all-around seasons of any center in 2025-26 hockey was Suzuki’s.
Further in his favor, Montreal held a 94-58 advantage in even-strength goals with Suzuki on the ice. He averaged 20:49 per game, took 1,449 faceoffs and won 50.4% of them while continuing a remarkable durability streak.
Suzuki has yet to miss a game across his seven NHL seasons.
Those numbers helped push him ahead of Jack Hughes, Mark Scheifele, Sebastian Aho and Connor Bedard on NHL Network’s list.
Matthews Ranking Gives Canadiens a Case
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 08: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 08, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Matthews remains one of the most dangerous goal scorers of his generation, which explains why NHL Network continued to place him among the game’s premier centers.
His track record includes 69 goals in 2023-24, three Rocket Richard Trophy wins and a Hart Trophy. He has scored 428 goals since entering the NHL in 2016-17, more than any other player during that span.
But the “right now” portion of the ranking creates room for debate.
Matthews was limited to 60 games last season and finished with 27 goals and 53 points, both career lows. Suzuki nearly doubled his point total while playing 22 more games and adding the Selke Trophy to his name.
There was also a considerable difference in recent team success.
Suzuki helped lead the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Final, scoring four goals and 12 assists during the postseason. The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.
Matthews is under the four-year, $53 million contract he signed with Toronto in 2023, carrying a $13.25 million annual cap hit through 2027-28.
None of that makes ranking Matthews eighth unreasonable. His scoring roof is higher than Suzuki’s, and one injury-disrupted season doesn’t obliterate a decade of elite production.
Still, Suzuki’s combination of 100-point offense and Selke-level qualirt gives Montreal a strong counterargument.
Canadiens’ 101-Point Star Has Case to Leap $53 Million Rival in NHL Ranking