You knew Cole Caufield was going to be on this list, right? The Canadiens have gone a long time without a prolific goal scorer; that’s been well documented by many, including myself. Caufield has the skill and opportunity to make Canadiens fans forget all about that with a successful season.
He was well on his way to scoring 40+ goals last season before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. Now Cole is healthy and just as lethal as ever. The chase for 40 is back on. And I feel pretty good in saying he gets there and possibly pushes for 50.
When Caufield went down, the Canadiens certainly felt it, as they lost an enormous scoring punch in their lineup. He’s a big part of their plans and will be the favourite to lead the Canadiens in goals for a long time now that he’s here for the long haul. Despite playing in just 46 games last year, he still finished tied for the team lead in goals with 26.
Goal-scoring is always going to be valuable for any team, but an offensively starved team is going to value it that much more. Caufield is already a fan favourite, and he will definitely push Suzuki for the MVP distinction this season, assuming he stays healthy.