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Montreal Canadiens: 7 Talking Points

By Sebastian High

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 02: Goaltender Carey Price #31 (L) and Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montreal Canadiens (R) stand during the national anthem prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre on March 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 02: Goaltender Carey Price #31 (L) and Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montreal Canadiens (R) stand during the national anthem prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre on March 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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EDMONTON, AB – DECEMBER 26: Cole CAUFIELD (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB – DECEMBER 26: Cole CAUFIELD (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images) /

3. Cole Caufield

Everyone’s favourite 5’7″ sniper in the Habs’ system features in my column once again after a multi-week hiatus. We all know of Caufield’s tremendous offensive abilities and he showcased them once again last weekend in his final regular-season games in the NCAA, earning the Big Ten’s 1st star of the week award. He scored three goals and added an assist against Michigan State, including a snipe that no NHL goalie would save:

He finished the season with 25 goals and 46 points, both of which led the entire NCAA; oh, and he put up those stats in 28 games while playing against men. Wasn’t he supposed to struggle mightily against bigger competition? He also score 8 more goals than the next-best goalscorer, which is a rather significant margin in a 28-game season. He certainly is the frontrunner for the Hobey Baker award for best player in college hockey, but whether or not he wins it, his potential is huge.

While, as previously mentioned, the Habs have a lot of goalscoring from the right wing which may make it difficult for Caufield to get big minutes once he makes the NHL, no player on the Habs roster has a shot nearly as deadly as Caufield’s. Weber’s is far harder and Kotkaniemi has a laser, but Caufield’s combination of accuracy, deception, power and eye for soft ice is unrivalled in the Habs’ system.

I would personally love to see Caufield get some sheltered NHL minutes once his NCAA playoffs and quarantine are finished. Play him on the third line with veterans and give him the reigns of the powerplay. He would add an element to the Habs’ game that they lack: game-breaking offensive skill.

He may very well start out in Laval and not see a minute of NHL action this season, which may also be the wise decision, but I am fairly confident that by the end of training camp next season, Caufield will have cemented a spot in the top-9 if not the top-6. I cannot wait to see him on a line with Kotkaniemi; that will be fun to watch.

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