Cole Caufield is almost as good defensively as he is offensively

Marc-Olivier Cook
Cole Caufield is almost as good defensively as he is offensively
Credit: Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images

Cole Caufield is currently second in the NHL in goals scored (and he could lose the Maurice Richard Trophy due to empty-net goals).

He's scored 43 goals since the start of the season… and only Nathan MacKinnon is ahead of him in that category, with 45 goals to his credit.

Offensively, Caufield is having a truly outstanding season. But it doesn't stop there.

What you need to know is that #13 is also starting to excel defensively. Advanced stats actually show that he's almost as good defensively as he is offensively (five-on-five).

You can't make this stuff up. 

In all of this, credit must go to Martin St-Louis.

Because from the moment he arrived with the Canadiens, St-Louis felt it was important to work with Caufield to make him effective across the entire 200 feet of the rink. The Habs' coach has often said it: he loves seeing Cole score goals… but he loves seeing his protégé play a complete game even more.

And it seems we've reached that point in the young sniper's progression and development. 

It's crazy, really, because Caufield has been the target of a lot of criticism in recent years. He's too small, he doesn't hit, he's not good defensively, all he does is score goals…

But now, it's different. The American has become a well-rounded player; he's effective in all three zones of the rink, and that's made him a key asset for the Canadiens since the start of the season.

Oh, and he's only 25. He still has time to improve, to put it another way…


In a nutshell

– Classic.

– Speaking of Caufield.

– Awesome.

– Ugh.

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