Montreal Canadiens, rising star Nick Suzuki have $63M deal

Imagine if you were 22 years old and signed a contract worth $ 63 million.
That’s what Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki did Tuesday when he agreed to an eight-year contract extension with a median annual salary of $ 7.875 million. That’s more than $ 7 million a year compared to his current three-year NHL entry-level contract with an annual salary cap of $ 863,333 with one year remaining.

The new contract, which begins next season, will pay Suzuki an average of $ 96,036 per game, up from the average of $ 10,528 for his current contract, and will also make him the team’s highest-paid striker, the $ 6 Brendan Gallaghers. 5 million per year exceed the salary cap.

“I don’t even know if I’ll ever realize how much it will be,” Suzuki said after training at Brossard on Wednesday when asked about his new contract.

“I told my brother it was like playing NHL 20 (video game) and I just signed up. It’s definitely amazing and I’m very grateful to the organization and everyone who helped me get here. My family supported me throughout the process ”.

Suzuki said the Canadiens approached him and his agent just over a month ago about a new deal and that both parties wanted to close it before the start of the regular season.
“So we did pretty well,” Suzuki said as the Canadiens opened the season against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Wednesday night.

Suzuki said it feels great to know the Canadiens are in his debt, including owner / president Geoff Molson, general manager Marc Bergevin and the coaching staff.
“They believe in me as a player and I want to agree with them,” Suzuki said. “I think I can be a good part of this team and help the team win as long as possible.”