Nick Suzuki is staying put after signing an eight-year, $63 million extension ($7.875 AAV) with the Canadiens.
“We are very happy to secure Nick’s services for the next eight seasons,” said Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin in a statement.
Bergevin is not guaranteed to remain in his position beyond this season, but he’s already keeping key pieces in place for the future of the franchise.
Suzuki was set to become a restricted free agent next summer and this extension buys four unrestricted free agent years. His new deal will include a 10-team no-trade list, which begins with the 2026-27 NHL season, per Chris Johnston.
In two seasons with the Canadiens, the 22-year-old Suzuki has 28 goals and 82 points in 127 games. He was third on the team in scoring during the regular season and led the Habs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with seven goals and 16 points during their run to the Cup Final.
Suzuki was originally drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights 13th overall in 2017, but was dealt to Montreal as part of the Max Pacioretty deal in Sept. 2018.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.