While it may feel like sniper Cole Caufield has been with the Montreal Canadiens since forever, he’s still only 24 years old, and he has yet to hit his ceiling. When the Habs drafted the diminutive scorer out of the US National Development Team in 2019, nobody expected him to still be available at 15th overall. Since then, Montreal has never regretted its pick. The right wing is the third-highest scorer of his draft with 219 points in 287 games (0.76 PPG), behind New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes, who has 351 points in 368 games (0.95 PPG), and Minnesota Wild Matthew Boldy, who has 244 in 285 games (0.85 PPG).
While 0.76 PPG is a respectable output, Caufield’s numbers are hindered by his rookie season, during which he struggled to find his groove under Dominique Ducharme and was even sent down to the AHL at one point. He finished that season with 43 points in 67 games, but 35 of those points came in his 37 games (0.95 PPG) under Martin St-Louis after the bench boss was hired on February 9, 2022.
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The following season, he only played 46 games as the organization pulled the plug on his season once it was evident the team wouldn’t be in the running for a playoff spot. There was no point in letting him compete on an injured shoulder and risking further damage. Still, in those 46 matches, he gathered 36 points for a 0.78 PPG.
The 2023-24 season was one in which St-Louis focused on making Caufield a hockey player and not just someone who plays hockey, as the coach likes to say. Scoring goals has always been Caufield’s forte, but there is more to the game, and St-Louis made sure he could become a complete player. The pilot candidly admitted that there wasn’t much he could teach the Wisconsin native about scoring goals, but he could teach him how to play on the other side of the puck. In that sense, that season was one of adaptation. In 82 games, he scored 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points and put up a minus-four rating.
Last season, the American took yet another step forward, setting new career highs in goals, points, and differential. He scored 37 goals in 82 games and finished the year with 70 points (0.85 PPG) and a plus-nine rating. He set these marks despite being unseated from his favorite spot on the power play by Patrik Laine’s arrival in December. Not once did he complain or pout about that; he just kept on working and kept on scoring, but by season’s end, he had found his spot back. The fact that his defensive game had improved also helped his productivity as he was able to dispossess opponents more often.
As the Canadiens readies to embark on a new season, Caufield is set to skate in his fifth complete season, and he should be one of the players who benefits from the arrival of Ivan Demidov, even if the youngster will, in all likelihood, be skating on the second line. The Russian’s presence will force opposing teams to use their defensive specialists against that line at times and should mean the top unit has a bit more breathing room.
Furthermore, GM Kent Hughes' additions of Noah Dobson and Zack Bolduc after trades with the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues should also have an impact. These two players will be added to the power play units, meaning the Canadiens should have two efficient units to ice with plenty of firepower and creativity.
While we’ve yet to see a single practice, it would be surprising if Caufield didn’t find himself on the first line at even strength and on the first power play unit. I struggle to see St-Louis separating Suzuki and Caufield on the man-advantage, even though he will have more options to choose from.
As a result, I fully expect the American to have his first 40-goal season this year, becoming the first Canadiens player to do so since Vincent Damphousse did it in 1993-94. That year, the Montreal native had 40 goals in 84 games after just missing the mark with 39 in 1992-93, but teammate Brian Bellows did get 40 in that Stanley Cup-winning season.
Caufield will not only be out to help the Canadiens get to the Stanley Cup Final again this season, but he will also be trying to catch the eye of Team USA as the Milano Cortina Olympics approach. Unlike teammate Lane Hutson, he was invited to orientation camp along with 43 other players, but that doesn’t mean he will actually make the roster, especially if the Americans intend to play as rough a game as they did at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Linemate Suzuki will also be hoping to do the same for Canada, meaning both players will be highly motivated.
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