Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis has benefitted Cole Caufield

Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield is learning from Martin St. Louis.

The Montreal Canadiens are starting the 2022-23 season on the right foot. One of the Habs forwards who has been exceptional to start things is Cole Caufield. The 21-year-old forward has a bright future with many great years ahead.

Beyond that, he has one of the perfect teachers in front of him in Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. It’s St. Louis’s first full season behind the Habs bench, but on the side, he can use everything he learned to help Caufield.

St. Louis played in the NHL for 16 years with the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New York Rangers. He’s got a laundry list of accolades, being named a Hall of Famer, a 5-time All-Star, a Stanley Cup winner, a three-time Lady Byng trophy winner, a two-time Art Ross trophy winner, and 1,000 point member.

The Laval native played 1,134 games over his 16-year career, managing 391 goals and 642 assists for 1,033 total points. The big connection that helps him be a good teacher for Caufield is not just the accolades and experience.

St. Louis’s Hockey-reference page lists him as 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds. A smaller frame like Caufield, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 162 pounds. Now, he has one of the best resources to help him get through an NHL career.

For the Canadiens, Caufield is one of the centerpieces of their roster. St. Louis has 16 years of experience in the NHL to help Caufield learn how he can be the most effective and make the most of his opportunities.

Since St. Louis has come around, Caufield has been able to really start putting his game together and continue becoming the player the Habs had drafted him to be. Caufield spent the offseason bulking up and has come back a little heavier; from the looks of it early on, it’s paid off.

As the season has gotten underway, Caufield has looked exceptional. He’s been able to use his size to his advantage. He creates space, gets himself into a good shooting lane, and has used that added strength/muscle to his advantage as well, ripping shots on the net.

The bottom line is Caufield continues to get things done offensively for the Habs. There’s plenty of reason to be excited about the rest of the season for the young winger. St. Louis will continue to work with him and hopefully continue to help him find ways to maximize his potential.