Cole Caufield has the same number of goals as Connor McDavid

The Montreal Canadiens are having a similar season to their 2022-2023 campaign.

Even if the Tricolore wins a few more games than last season, the bottom line is the same: the Habs won’t be a playoff team.

What’s also similar between the two seasons is the bad luck when it comes to injuries.

For the second season in a row, the Tricolore has lost key players for extended periods.

This season, we’re thinking mainly of Kirby Dach, while last season it was Cole Caufield.

In Caufield’s case last season, at least, he showed some promise before getting injured, scoring 26 goals in 46 games.

We might have expected a similar season from Caufield this year, but that’s not what’s happening.

Indeed, after 46 games (the number of games he played last season), Caufield has ten fewer goals than last season.

He has just 16 in 46 games this season. On the other hand, he has only one point less (35 points) than last season.

All in all, it’s been a disappointing season so far for Caufield in terms of goals when compared to his 2022-2023 campaign.

Still, 16 goals is the same number as none other than Connor McDavid.

Yes, yes, you heard me right, Caufield has the same number of goals this season as last season’s Maurice Richard Trophy winner with 64.

I really took the plunge when I made this observation while wandering through NHL.com’s statistics section.

Of course, it’s important to note that McDavid was injured and therefore played six fewer games than Caufield, but still.

It’s crazy to think that we’d all have cried mad if anyone had dared to predict at the start of the season that Caufield would have the same number of goals as McDavid by mid-season.

Well, that’s actually the case right now, as both players have 16 goals.

Before the season, we’d all have bought into the idea of Caufield scoring at the same rate as McDavid.

But in the end, that’s what’s happening right now, and it’s not all that exciting, considering that both players are experiencing a sharp drop in production at this level.

Caufield isn’t scoring goals at the same furious pace as last season, which was worrying considering the big contract the Habs just gave him (8 years with an annual value of $7.85 million).

At least things are going a lot better for Caufield right now, as he’s on a five-game goal-scoring streak.

Quietly, Caufield is closing in on an average of 30 goals over 82 games.

As of today, number 22 of the Habs is on a 28-goal streak over 82 games.

Should he manage to score 30 this season, it would be a nice consolation prize after a very difficult first half of the season.

30 goals in a season considered “bad” would be reassuring in Caufield’s case.

In short, all this remains to be seen.

In a gust

– Patrick Roy’s first appearance with the New York Islanders. You can see he’s already shaved his beard.

Patrick Roy pic.twitter.com/AoS8YntyCb

– Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) January 21, 2024

– Connor Bedard made sure to congratulate Joshua Roy.

– To read.

– Levi already back.

– Up next.