Should the Montreal Canadiens bring Cole Caufield on for the playoffs?
Cole Caufield is expected to have a big year at the University of Wisconsin and he may want to join the Montreal Canadiens earlier than we thought.
Yes, I know. “How can you talk about the Montreal Canadiens being in the playoffs when they’ve only played two games this season.” Fair, totally fair. But the comments made by Cole Caufield recently opens the door to have that conversation even though we’re 80 games away from seeing whether it’s a possibility or not.
In an article with Lapresse, Caufield said his goal for the season is to join the Habs in April if they qualify for the playoffs. That’s a long projected goal but considering how lethal the 2019 first-round pick has looked over the summer and in the exhibition, it’s hard not to imagine him in the NHL. Caufield is as advertised and Montreal would surely welcome the goal-scoring on their roster.
There is one question though. Say the Montreal Canadiens make the playoffs in some capacity. Should they add Caufield to the team?
They wouldn’t be the first organization to have a prospect debut in the playoffs. Charlie McAvoy did that for the Boston Bruins starting out on the top pair with Zdeno Chara. The same goes for Cale Makar last season who had an instant impact with the Colorado Avalanche. Both players played two years at their respective schools and looked to be ready for the next level.
The Habs have been preaching drafting and development and a part the latter is knowing when the prospect is ready. Caufield may say his goal is to play in the NHL in the playoffs, but it’ll be up to the Montreal Canadiens to decide whether he’s ready or not. Most have assumed Caufield would play in Wisconsin for two years before making the jump and that seems like the best path at the moment.
Who knows what goes on between now and April. At the same time, Cole Caufield has given the fanbase more and more reasons not to doubt his potential.
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