Flyers GM states 'half of' Nick Suzuki Jett Luchenko's wishful ceiling

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Sep 02, 2024 06:09 GMT

Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere compared Jett Luchanko with Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. At the 2024 NHL Draft, the Flyers chose Luchanko with the 13th overall pick. He's a center from the Guelph Storm in the OHL.

The Flyers had the 11th pick but traded down to 13th and got a third-round pick from the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota used the 11th pick to select defenseman Zeev Buium, a player some expected the Flyers to choose. Instead, the Flyers picked Luchanko, which surprised many.

Briere, though, explained that the Flyers’ scouts liked Luchanko. He added that Buium was highly rated too, but the team needed a center for the future.

Briere compared Luchanko with Montreal's Nick Suzuki, who was also picked 13th overall, in 2017. Suzuki moved to Montreal in 2019 and became a key player. Briere said that the Flyers would be happy if Luchanko becomes even half as good as Suzuki.

“He reminds me a lot of Nick Suzuki. He's not the biggest, but he's very effective in all facets of the game. If he becomes half of Suzuki, we'll be happy." Briere said via lapresse.ca

By trading down, the Flyers used the extra third-round pick to move up in the second round. They selected defenseman Spencer Gill with the 59th pick. Briere thinks this strategy gives the Flyers two strong prospects instead of one.

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Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki optimistic about playoff push with new addition Patrik Laine

At the end of last season, Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki sounded confident about making the playoffs. He said that with the right momentum and positivity from coach Martin St. Louis, the team was ready.

Montreal acquired Patrik Laine from Columbus, adding $8.7 million to their salary cap for the next two years. Laine’s arrival is expected to strengthen the forward lines and give Suzuki better matchups. Suzuki is confident that Laine would fit in well with the team.

“I think we can beat anybody,” Suzuki said via (nytimes.com). “I thought last year we competed against really good teams all the time. We’re still a young group, but with the addition of (Laine), and (Kirby Dach) coming back up front, it makes our forward unit look pretty scary.”

Suzuki and the Canadiens are now optimistic about making a strong playoff push next season.