The Hockey News released its list of the Top 100 NHL players this season in April, and four Montreal Canadiens have made the list. Earlier, we covered Juraj Slafkovsky, who’s 94th on the list, and Nick Suzuki, who landed in the 48th spot. Now, we’ll take a look at Cole Caufield, who landed in 35th place.
The sniper’s rank on the list is largely based on his knack to not only score goals but score important goals. This season, he led the league in both go-ahead goals with 29 and overtime goals with 5. While that’s a huge part of what makes Caufield a great player, it should also be mentioned that his defensive game has also improved by leaps and bounds.
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Under Martin St-Louis, the diminutive winger has become a much more complete player. He’s developed good instincts on the forecheck, and while he doesn’t have the size to throw his body around much, he does have the speed and the active stick needed to cause headaches to other teams.
While Caufield doesn’t wear a letter on his jersey, he is still one of the leaders of this team. Not only does he lead by example on the ice, but he’s also a lively presence in the room and everywhere around the team. He’s got a contagious enthusiasm for the game, and the Habs brass can always count on him to lighten the mood and help the team move on from a tough loss.
Montreal’s 15th overall pick at the 2019 NHL draft, Caufield has now played 368 regular-season games in which he has put up 307 points. In the playoffs, he has skated in 44 games, picking up 29 points along the way. The sniper is under contract with the team until the end of the 2030-31 season with a $7.785 million cap hit. There’s no denying that he will play a big role for this Montreal team and for a long time.
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