![Cole Caufield: the odd man out in the top-10 players with the most shots in 23-24](https://cdn.buminteractif.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2131328055.jpg)
Yet the Tricolore’s diminutive forward scored 65 points in 82 games, his NHL-best career points total.
So why are many fans disappointed with Caufield’s 2023-2024 season?
Well, it’s because of the number of goals scored by the Habs’ number 22.
Virtually everyone predicted a 40-goal season for the Tricolore forward, but in the end he didn’t even reach the 30-goal plateau.
The Habs’ number 22 hasn’t been able to score many goals, but that’s not for lack of trying.
In fact, Caufield finished the season with 314 shots, ranking 7ᵉ across the entire NHL.
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1. Nathan MacKinnon – 51 goals – 12.6% shots converted into goals
2. David Pastrnak – 47 goals – 12.3%
3. Auston Matthews – 69 goals – 18.7%
4. Brady Tkachuk – 37 goals – 10.4%
5. Filip Forsberg – 48 goals – 13.8%
6. William Nylander – 40 goals – 12.7%
7.Cole Caufield – 28 goals – 8.9%
8 .Nikita Kucherov – 44 goals – 14.4%
9. Artemi Panarin – 49 goals – 16.2%
10. Zach Hyman – 54 goals – 18.6
That’s a pretty interesting statistic, which says a lot about Cole Caufield’s last season, when he’s also the only one on this list to record a shot conversion percentage under 10%. The Habs forward is at 8.9%.
And that’s where there’s room for solid debate.
Caufield’s 23-24 season can only be a simple anomaly in Cole Caufield’s career, but it can also be worrying and representative of the limits of a small forward like Caufield.
In short, next season will be a real turning point for Caufield, when we’ll have a better idea of what he’s really like as a player.
It’s all very well for him to become more complete, as Martin St-Louis wants him to, but basically, Caufield’s job is to score goals.
So if he doesn’t perform any better than his 8.9% shot-to-goal conversion rate last season, the Habs will really have to find a way to make up for the team’s lack of goals.
Overtime
– Indeed.
Stop forgetting about THIS #Habs prospect…
Full pod
Watch: https://t.co/sGgf9rmbx9
Listen: https://t.co/jlZJ7w3BUs#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/eBec2Ks3h5– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) July 14, 2024
– The Ottawa Senators really need Thomas Chabot to stay healthy.
After years of having skilled left-shot depth on their blue line, things have changed. And the Ottawa Senators desperately need Thomas Chabot to return to health (and form) next season. @TheHockeyNewshttps://t.co/tcAvBviTqu
– Steve Warne (@SteveWarneMedia) July 14, 2024