Cole Caufield could have a very different role with the team next season

PUBLICATION

Elias Edmonson
July 7, 2023 (9:41)

SHARE THIS STORY

Even though it's only July 7th, fans' eyes are already turning towards the 2023-2024 season.

We're all eager to see the progression made by several young players such as Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj, and Justin Barron, but we're also very excited to see newcomer Alex Newhook in action.

There is likely to be a very significant change in the Canadiens' ranks with the departure of Joel Edmundson, who served as an assistant alongside captain Nick Suzuki.

On this note, the excellent journalist at Sportsnet, Eric Engels, made a very interesting prediction about the player who will take the veteran's place to fulfill this role next season.

"Brendan Gallagher will be one of the two assistants. Savard is an obvious candidate to be the other. However, it would be interesting to see Caufield rotate into this role. The young 22-year-old has signed an eight-season contract and this team will belong to him and Suzuki in the very near future." - Eric Engels

Knowing that David Savard could play his last season with the Tricolore this year, the Canadiens' management could prefer to give the "A" to a player who will be part of the organization's future plans.

Cole Caufield is a greatly appreciated teammate in the locker room and it would be very interesting to see him sport the assistant captain's logo with the Tricolore for many seasons. We may have to wait until the Canadiens' famous golf tournament to get a definitive answer, but it's very possible that the young forward will be an assistant to Nick Suzuki in 2023-2024.

Another possibility not to be overlooked is 29-year-old defenseman Mike Matheson. He has played nearly 500 games since his arrival in the Bettman circuit, and he had a very important role with the Montreal team when he was healthy last year, accumulating 34 points in 48 games.

Do you think the Canadiens should name Cole Caufield assistant captain?

The 22-year-old has been a pillar for the Tricolore with an impressive haul of 26 goals and 10 assists (36 points) in 46 games in 2022-2023. There is no doubt that he will play an even more critical role this season if the Canadiens want to be more competitive.