The Canadiens have faced several disappointments early in the season, but Cole Caufield is definitely not one of them. The team’s #13 has made a fantastic start, bringing joy to Habs fans everywhere. After last night’s two-goal shootout loss to the Islanders, Caufield now has six goals in six games. This accomplishment ties him with Artemi Panarin for second place in the entire NHL, just one goal behind Nikita Kucherov, who has played two fewer games than Caufield. Overall, we couldn’t ask for a better beginning to his season, as concerns about his performance have been put to rest.
Caufield’s shoulder appears to be fully healed, which is great news. A journalist (possibly Guillaume Lefrançois of La Presse) asked Caufield if he felt more at ease this season, noting that he seems better at shooting from tight angles. This was a valid and intriguing question, but Caufield did not take it well. He laughed dismissively, responding with “no” three times before labeling the question as silly. The journalist attempted to clarify his question by mentioning the lengthy recovery from shoulder surgeries, but before he could finish, Caufield interrupted, asking, “Have you ever had shoulder surgery?” When the journalist replied that he hadn’t, Caufield chuckled—though it wasn’t the lighthearted laugh fans might expect, but rather an uncomfortable one.
Once again, Caufield reprimanded a journalist after a game, despite his strong season thus far. It’s evident that last season and his shoulder injury are sensitive topics for him, yet the journalist’s inquiry was justified. As my colleague Maxime Truman pointed out, there’s often frustration over journalists asking easy questions, but this time, a genuine one was posed, albeit one that the player clearly disliked. This makes it challenging to know how to approach questions to evoke meaningful responses without upsetting the players. Nonetheless, the key takeaway is that Caufield’s shoulder seems to be fully healed, and we hope he can maintain his impressive performance.
