Cole Caufield's tallies two, moves into top spot for goals

The number change from 22 to 13 for Cole Caufield was a sign of respect for Johnny Gaudreau, and the move seems to have ignited a fire in Caufield.

On Monday afternoon, Caufield tallied two goals, bringing him to 12 on the season, which is best for the number one spot in the National Hockey League. The first of his two tallies came off a sweet little redirect on a point shot from Habs rookie defenseman Lane Hutson. There's a connection that Habs fans should be excited to hear, and one that should contribute to the Habs offense for a long time.

Caufield seems to have found a confidence in his shot, and rather than deferring to teammates or over passing the puck, he shoots it more often. It's unclear what sparked this change, but without a doubt the Habs aren't complaining. Not about his scoring anyways, their place in the standing is another topic completely.

It is a little bit of a head scratcher to have a player leading the league in goals, while sitting right at the basement of the league standings. The coaching staff and management are undoubtedly proud of Caufield and excited about his hot streak. But the win had to be the most important part of the Canadiens clash with the Sabres.

Is it too early to predict 40 or 50 goals?

Caufield has been touted as one of the, if not the top goal scorer from the 2019 NHL Draft, and there are some talented players from that draft class. Matt Boldy and Jack Hughes come to mind, but Caufield hasn't yet reached his potential, in my opinion anyway. With 28 goals as his career high, Caufield is on pace to shatter that total with 12 through 16 games.

But what does that look like over an 82-game schedule? That's assuming that he stays healthy and the Canadiens top guys keep feeding him the puck. I will assume that Caufield will remain in the middle of the Habs scoring, even when Patrik Laine returns to the lineup. His health is harder to predict, but I think that he will shatter the 28 goals total before the season's end if all goes well.

I have Caufield pencilled in for 30 goals minimum. and I think that he will easily surpass that number. Whether he sticks on the second line with Jake Evans and Alex Newhook or moves back with Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki, Caufield is going to score goals. I think he could score between 40 and 50, though I have hopes that he hits 50.

Can you imagine the Bell Centre crowd, if he hit 50 on home ice? Yeah, that is chill inducing.