There is no secret that the Montreal Canadiens will soon be finished up with their 2023-24 schedule.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be no more hockey, for some of their players. For example, Cole Caufield, has reportedly expressed his interest in representing his home United States at the upcoming World Hockey Championships. Sportsnets Eric Engels reported on Tuesday morning.
Cole Caufield expressed a desire to represent the USA at the World Championship of Hockey once the season is done. And provided he’s healthy, he will have that opportunity.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) April 9, 2024
If he does in fact get invited and represent the American’s, it would be the first time he does so in a professional hockey atmosphere. He has represent the United States in the past at the World Junior Hockey Championships. And he also played for the United States National Team Development program, donning the blue sweater with the American colours.
What’s even more thrilling is that Lane Hutson will likely join the Canadiens as soon as he finishes up his season with the Boston University Terriers. But since the season is nearing it’s end, there is a possibility that Hutson joins Caufield in representing the American squad. So if we don’t get a glimpse of the pair together on the powerplay in Montreal, perhaps the World Hockey Championships will provide a nice treat.
Fortunately for the American’s Caufield is riding a four game goal scoring streak. The 5 foot 7 winger is two goals shy of his career-high 26, which he reached last year. But his late season resurgence on the scoresheet will be a massive help for the USA.
Adding a playmaker at the blueline to work the give-and-go and feed one timers to Caufield could cause the opposition a lot of grief. The pair won’t likely play a lot together because of their size, but when they do, there’s good reason to believe they will create magic. They both dominated the competition in college, and Hutson is touted to be an impact player in the NHL just like Caufield.
It will be three to five years before we see how good Hutson will ultimately be. As for Caufield, he is likely a couple years away from reaching his full potential in his prime. But the pair have the ability to take over games and dominate shifts from their respective positions, so a highlight or two might be on the horizon.
Hutson is flying high right now and regardless of how the Final Four plays out, he will certainly feel motivated to start his professional career. Whether or not he wishes to play at the World Hockey Championships will depend on an array of different things. But once he gets some ice time with Caufield, that may very well sway his decision towards a yes.