Montreal Canadiens: Cole Caufield A Victim Of Bad Bounces Thus Far

Flashbacks of Cole Caufield’s struggles seem to creep into Montreal Canadiens fans’ heads because he isn’t scoring goals at an expected rate.

But there is no reason to worry, it’s not as though he is sitting back, while somebody else drives the ship, he is involved every shift. Away from the puck, he uses his speed and vision to disrupt the forecheck, and he is able to keep pace on the backcheck while disrupting plays in the neutral zone. In other words, while Caufield hasn’t been scoring a whole lot at five-on-five, he has shown a much improved defensive game.

We all know that he is paid big bucks, to put the puck in the net, and he currently sits at six goals in 20 games. And when you compare his production last year, while playing just 46 games, Caufield had 26 goals. So the statistics are a little unforgiving, and to fault Caufield for not scoring would be a misstep, because he has had the opportunities, but the bounces aren’t going his way.

He is adapting to playing on an opposite line from Nick Suzuki and finding chemistry with Juraj Slafkovsky, who has played well of late but is still finding his way in the league. There have been opportunities for him to score, and for whatever reason – down luck? He has been unable to score as much as he and the Habs would like for him to.

Caufield has scored a good amount of his tallies this season in overtime, and the poise and calm nerves in such high-stress situations have served the former 13th overall selection in the 2019 draft quite well. For this reason, and the fact that he has proven he can score goals in a variety of different situations, with all different shot styles, I think we should refrain from worrying. Simply put, Caufield has not played poorly, nor has he had a lack of chances, it’s quite the opposite, but he hasn’t been a beneficiary of good puck luck.

Once he finds increased familiarity with Christian Dvorak and Slafkovsky, there should be an increase in his production. The newish trio just needs a little time to adjust to each other’s strengths and style, and once they do the production should follow. Each player has skills to create offence, and with Dvorak’s two-way presence, his linemates benefit from the center’s smart defensive play, and hard work away from the puck, which creates so many chances for the line.

Cole Caufield can score goals, and maybe the slow start means he has a hot second half to the season, and he reaches 40 goals. Or maybe he doesn’t, but one thing can be certain, he isn’t going to just roll over because of a scoring slump, he has continued to work hard, and he is a positive presence. He will find his way, and when he starts scoring more consistently, he will be better off because he battled through the adversity.

Let’s worry not, but praise that he is a player who can play in the top six, not only because of his offensive skills. Caufield is learning from an undrafted Hart and Art Ross-winning 5’9” winger, who has a Stanley Cup ring and is also in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Martin St. Louis is the perfect mentor for Caufield, and the energy and confidence we have come to know Caufield for is still there.

Caufield scored goals during his rookie year in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he was one of the Habs’ offensive catalysts. He had just 10 games of NHL experience prior to his playoff debut, which tells you the kind of player he is. The 5’7″ sniper has ice in his veins, no moment is too big for him, and he just manages to continue scoring goals at every level that he has played.

Let’s be a little patient, sometimes players need a little bit of leniency. They have been doing this for, at minimum, 14 years. Caufield is just 22 years old, and he is just getting started. If we let him work out the kinks now we have eight years to watch Caufield develop into what he will ultimately become in his prime, a star, in my opinion of course.

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