On Tuesday, NHL.com published its top 10 ranking of under-25 forwards, and Montreal Canadiens' Cole Caufield made the list. The Habs sniper landed in fifth place behind Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators, Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild, and Wyatt Johnston of the Dallas Stars.
This is pretty good going for the 24-year-old who was the ninth forward picked in the 2019 draft class. The right winger finished last season with 37 goals and 33 assists, touching the 70-point mark for the first time in his career and setting a career-high in goals.
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What’s even more impressive is the fact that if coach Martin St-Louis didn’t give his favorite spot on the power play to Patrik Laine when the big Finn returned from injury, he most probably would have broken the 40-goal mark. Furthermore, there’s no reason to believe that the diminutive forward has reached his ceiling yet; he may be small, but he’s thinking big.
On top of setting a career-high in points, the right winger also improved his overall game, becoming a real nuisance on the forecheck with his active stick, thus improving his defensive game on top of his offensive one.
When the puck drops on the upcoming season, there’s no doubt that Caufield will still be riding shotgun on captain Nick Suzuki’s line, and if Juraj Slafkovsky can keep building on how he ended the season last year, the line could and should be even more efficient. Having him finish his checks in the corners and behind the net before retrieving it creates a lot of scoring chances for his linemates.
Could we see him reach the 40-goal mark this season? If I were the betting type, I’d put my money on yes for that one. The arrival of Noah Dobson and Ivan Demidov will give more options to the Canadiens’ bench boss, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Patrik Laine remained on the second man-advantage unit, given his performance at even strength.
More options mean more accountability, and Caufield should benefit from that, seeing as he plays a complete game now. As the coach likes to say, he’s not just someone playing hockey; he’s a hockey player, and until he feels the same way about Laine, he shouldn’t put him ahead of Caufield.
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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