Cole Caufield has just completed a second consecutive season without missing a game through injury. This consistency enabled him to take off and enjoy the best campaign of his career, with 37 goals and 70 points in 82 games.
In the playoffs, he showed he was capable of contributing with three goals in five games.
It was enough for the experts at NHL.com to rank him as the 5th best forward under 25 in the NHL.
At the top are Tim Stutzle, Jack Hughes, Matt Boldy and Wyatt Johnston.
When you look at the impact these players have had, it’s hard to rank Caufield ahead of them.
What’s a little more surprising is that Caufield is ahead of Matthew Knies and Macklin Celebrini, among others. Matvei Michkov is also behind.
It may seem surprising, but Caufield has the statistics to prove the experts on the NHL website right, despite some of his detractors.
As much as we in Montreal can get carried away with certain players, we too often underestimate them.
The reality is that Caufield plays on a good first line in the NHL and is close to 40 goals.
Will Macklin Celebrini surpass this season? Perhaps, but in the meantime, Caufield fully deserves his place in this ranking.
Matthew Knies is another strong candidate to overtake Caufield this year, but he’s only managed 58 points this season. His playoff run may influence his view, but in the end, the Habs’ diminutive forward was better in 2024-2025.
I even think Caufield can hit 40 goals this season if Juraj Slafkovsky starts the season on time.
-1751935521-q80.webp "Bills' QB1 Josh Allen lauded again for extracurricular ability to irritate opponents")
