Does Cole Caufield still have a chance at winning the Calder Trophy?
At the time of writing Cole Caufield is currently sitting 14th in the rookie scoring race with 18 points in 37 games. Caufield is currently 21 points behind former teammate Trevor Zegras & Lucas Raymond, who are leading the way for rookies with 39 points.
With only 30 games left in the season, a 21 point lead seems almost impossible to make up, unless Caufield continues to score at an unreal pace.
The first 30 games of the season for Caufield are definitely something he wants to forget. Under former coach Dominique Ducharme Caufield only managed to score 8 points (.267 points per game). Since Martin St.Louis took over the Montreal Canadiens, we have seen the Caufield everyone has expected since he arrived on the team. In the last 7 games under St. Louis, Caufield has scored 6 goals and 10 points (1.42 points per game). Thats the same point production per game as Jonathan Huberdeau, the leagues current point leader is on for this season.
With 30 games left in the season, if Caufield maintains this current point production he would finish the season with 60 points. While if Zegras and Raymond maintain their current production, they would finish with: Zegras 63, Raymond 61.
So while it is a total long shot, if Caufield makes a comeback and producing like he has been the last 7 games for the remainder of the season, would he be considered the top Rookie of the year?
The Martin St-Louis Effect (Official Music Video) ft. Cole Caufield pic.twitter.com/AJJ4FDWkfz— Matt Vaillancourt Edits (@514vaillancourt) February 25, 2022
Playing at a 1.42 point per game pace sounds very unrealistic for a rookie, but with the Habs no longer competing for a playoff spot and St. Louis wanting a job for next year, why not continue to play Caufield in situations to succeed? If this team is in a rebuilding year, they will want a coach who has a good relationship with his star players, and Caufield is the future of Montreal.
So, I ask you, If Caufield gets played 20 minutes+ per game in key offensive situations, do you think Caufield can make the comeback?
Latest 10 stories
