East Notes: Suzuki, Falk, Pulkkinen

The Canadiens essentially picked up two new top-six forwards, which should give them the offense they need to challenge for a playoff spot this season, captain Nick Suzuki told Arpon Basu of The Athletic.

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

Montreal’s offense is largely headed in the right direction, especially with the emergence of 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky as a legitimate top-six option. But last year, especially with Dach sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the campaign, their top unit of Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Cole Caufield was their only true impact line. As Basu points out, a more legitimate secondary attack spearheaded by Dach and Laine should force defending teams to spread their matchups, alleviating some defensive pressure against the Suzuki line.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

• Former Sabres depth defenseman Justin Falk has returned to the team as a scout, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Falk, 35, retired after splitting the 2019 season between the Avalanche and Senators organizations and has spent the last three years as the general manager and head coach of Manitoba’s Winkler Flyers, a Junior ’A’ club. He spent two years as a Sabre, posting a goal and nine assists with a -19 rating in 98 games in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. He made 279 NHL appearances over a 10-year career, also suiting up for the Avs, Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Wild.
• Defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen became the first member of the Islanders’ 2024 draft class to put pen to paper on his entry-level contract last month, but his on-ice debut with the team may have to wait. The 19-year-old has sustained a lower-body injury that may prevent him from participating in training camp, as relayed by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. The overage 6’6″, 220-lb blue liner was the No. 54 overall selection earlier this summer and will be loaned back to his Finnish club, JYP, in the fall.