Cole Caufield says he’s been terrible in the playoffs

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Cole Caufield says he’s been terrible in the playoffs
Credit: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

The guys on the first line were under a lot of pressure in the playoffs. Everyone knows that.

Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki (who sees the playoffs as a learning experience and wishes he'd contributed more) mentioned it briefly… but they didn't go as far as Cole Caufield did when he brought up the subject this morning during the team's locker room debrief.

No. 13 said he was terrible in the playoffs.

It's worth noting that the small forward scored six goals in 19 games. Several of those goals came on the power play, and it took him a while to contribute at even strength.

He seemed to be hiding an injury.

He played better toward the end and finished the series with 13 points. But it's true that if the other players hadn't stepped up, his line wouldn't have helped the Habs get past the Lightning.

It's worth noting that Phillip Danault, when made aware of his teammate's comments, disagreed. He thinks Caufield put a lot of pressure on himself.

It's also worth noting that Caufield, like many of the guys, made a point of paying tribute to Brendan Gallagher, who played his final game with the Montreal Canadiens.

In his eyes, Gallagher is one of the best teammates he's ever had.

You can imagine that the topic of Gally was a big one in the locker room. Danault, in particular, talked at length about the impact of his good friend, which is only natural.

That's pretty much what's grabbing everyone's attention right now.


In a nutshell

– No one is 100% in the playoffs.

– It'll be weird, yes.

– Must-read.

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