Nick Suzuki, new captain of the Canadiens

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Nick Suzuki is the new captain of the Montreal Canadiens.

As part of the team's golf tournament on Monday in Laval, the Habs head coach Martin St-Louis made the announcement.

Captain Nick 🔥 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/cg4orzLiw5

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 12, 2022

Suzuki, who spent the summer in Montreal, will be assisted by Brendan Gallagher and Joel Edmundson in his new role.

Strong leadership 💪

Strong leadership#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/DZq7Ma9Y3y

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) September 12, 2022

“Hello, it's an honor for me to be the next captain of the Montreal Canadiens,” Suzuki said in French before starting his round of golf.

“It's a great privilege and a huge honor for me to be the captain of the team. The club is heading in the right direction. The future looks bright and I'm excited to be a part of it,” he added in English.

Suzuki captain pic.twitter.com/meFWi0slZ4

— Marc-André Perreault (@MA_PerreaultTVA) September 12, 2022

The 23-year-old Ontarian takes over from Shea Weber, whose contract was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Evgeni Dadonov this summer .

Himself obtained from the Golden Knights four years earlier, Suzuki has recently established himself as the club's No. 1 center. Frequently flanked by Cole Caufield in 2021-2022, he was the Habs' leading scorer with 21 goals and 61 points in 82 games.

Suzuki also revealed that St-Louis had spoken to him about a such an appointment about two months ago. After a period of reflection, he felt he was in a position to step up and will do everything in his power to steer the team in the right direction.

“It means a lot, just to see the respect [ to me] from management and teammates. I know it's an important role, but I think I'm ready for it.”

He will also start a new eight-year contract in 2022-2023 that will earn him $7.875 million. .