Hockey

“Cole Caufield is not untouchable and I would think about trading him for Sidney Crosby.”
Félix Forget
“Cole Caufield is not untouchable and I would think about trading him for Sidney Crosby.”
Credit: Getty Images

Cole Caufield has been rolling his hump in Montreal for several years now. Now a young veteran, he has found his way to the Bettman circuit, scoring 37 goals and 70 points last year.

He is undoubtedly Montreal's leading goal scorer at the moment.

And at just 24, Caufield is an important part of the team's future. He's on a long-term contract (he just completed the second year of an eight-year pact), and at $7.85 per year, he really doesn't cost a fortune, especially with the salary cap about to skyrocket.

That's why I was a little surprised to see that, during his appearance on Tony Marinaro's Sick Podcast, Denis Gauthier stated that he's not ready to place Caufield among his untouchables in town… and that he'd even be willing to trade him for none other than Sidney Crosby.

Nothing less.

Let's be clear: I understand the reasoning behind Caufield not being an untouchable, and I agree with it to a certain extent. Trading such a talented young forward who's agreed to sign with Montreal for the long term isn't my goal… but I'm not necessarily closed to the idea either.

And I think Gauthier's on the same wavelength: he doesn't want to trade Caufield, but at the right price, he'd be willing to do so.

That said, in my opinion, it's the whole Crosby thing that's the problem here. And the reason is quite simple: I don't think the (very young) Habs core is there yet, because that would put a ton of immediate pressure on them to win.

Is it a good idea to put that kind of pressure on youngsters like Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, who have barely set foot in the NHL? Because if Crosby comes to town and Caufield leaves in return, it will send a clear message that the club wants to win now.

If Hutson and Demidov were a few years older and the club was well established among the teams guaranteed to make the playoffs, that would be one thing. But right now, the Habs are more among a group of teams in the mix, and not necessarily ready to assume contender status right away, especially if Caufield leaves on top of it.

And when he is (ideally in 2-3 years), Crosby will be 40… and who knows if he'll have hung up his skates. It's up to you to decide whether it's worth trading Caufield for a player who, exceptional as he is, will be 40 by the time the Habs' core has finally matured.


Overtime

– Nice touch.

– Brock Nelson refused to join the Winnipeg Jets.

– Incredible.

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