Cole Caufield’s final season wearing #13 was..Something.
(Before you say it, I know this wasn’t during his time with the USNTDP, but it is with the number 13)
Montreal Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield recently announced he was switching his sweater number from 22 to 13 in honour of Johnny Gaudreau.
Gaudreau inspired Caufield, like many other smaller players to keep chasing their dreams. So, with the recent devastating loss of Gaudreau, Caufield wanted to go back to number 13 like he had wore before his college days and well before the NHL. Caufield was excellent in the United States National Team Development program, where he scored at a torrid pace.
Caufield scored 72 goals and up until this past season he led the rankings in goals, until Cole Eiserman broke his record. But Caufield’s 72-goal season was a record year, where he passed Auston Matthews’s previous record set in 2014-15 of 55 goals. Caufield was electric forming a dynamic duo with New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes – if you remember they had to split a puck since Hughes set the record for most points in program history with his assist.
Caufield isn’t likely to score 72 goals this season, which isn’t surprising, Auston Matthews has been the closest to that number with 69, tying Mario Lemieux, who reached the feat during the 1995-96 season. But the last player to reach 72 goals was Brett Hull, way back in 1989-90 with the St Louis Blues.
Now that that’s out of the way, we can discuss a reasonable number that Caufield can reach. Some storylines in hockey are just poetry in motion – and the first season of honouring Gaudreau for Caufield could be the perfect example of poetry. It’s not as though simply switching his number will change his fortunes, but the fact that he is playing for something more could be a reason for him to explode.
There have been discussions and even question marks about what number Caufield could reach, with many wondering if the potential is still there. I mean, it has been three seasons and he hasn’t hit 30 goals, what gives? But there are many reasons why he hasn’t hit 30, and the fact that he is still growing, much like his line, stands as the reason why.
With a clean bill of health for the top line entering the 2024-25 season, the possibilities are endless. The team is also looking to make another big push towards the playoffs, so Caufield could go a long way in helping the team with an increased goal pace. I think that 50 is a reach, but that is hard to tell until the season starts, however, I think 40 wouldn’t be wild.
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