This summer, the Habs refused to give more money to Phillip Danault, so he decided to sign with another team. The former number 24 of the Tricolore finally got $33 million over six years, or $5.5 million per season.
A few months later, the Habs signed Nick Suzuki to an eight-year, $63 million contract for $7.875 million per season.
And yet, as of today, Danault has only one point less than Nick Suzuki and a much better differential.
First of all, Danault is second in ice time among all Kings forwards. So he's on the ice a lot. Suzuki also always plays against the best players on other teams on the first line, and that's not counting the many games he played with several AHL players in the lineup when the Habs were decimated by the COVID-19.
Suzuki is still very young. The learning curve is certainly harder this season, but he hasn't reached his full potential yet. The organization just needs to make sure they have him around for the rest of the season so he doesn't get too far behind in his development.
