Former Player and Analyst Suggests Benching Cole Caufield For His Style of Play

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Elias Adaime
October 29, 2024 (10:22)

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Cole Caufield impresses this season with eight goals in nine games, providing a crucial asset to the Montreal Canadiens' offense.

With the team facing numerous injuries, his contribution is a big help to Martin St. Louis's squad.

Thanks to his scoring talent, he's already among players like Nikita Kucherov and Nico Hischier as one of the league's top scorers.

However, some criticism has emerged, notably from former goaltender Pascal Leclaire.

During an appearance on La Poche Bleue, Leclaire suggested the idea of benching Caufield to encourage more variety in his play.

Cole Caufield Sent to the Stands? Pascal Leclaire's Controversial Idea

According to him, Caufield scores often in the same way, which limits his overall impact on the ice. This opinion isn't shared by many fans and experts, who emphasize Caufield's importance in the Canadiens' current success.

Others, like Tony Marinaro, also suggest here that some players should be benched to send a message to the team, citing Josh Anderson as an example.

For Caufield, his place among the top scorers alone justifies his importance despite the criticism. For now, Caufield is a cornerstone of the offense, and his future with the Canadiens looks promising if he keeps this momentum.

I'll take Caufield as an example. Sure, he scores goals and all that, but he always scores from the same spot, and for the rest of the game, we don't see him.

So, if it's not working at some point, why not bench him? Is he Jesus of Nazareth or something? No need to do it at home when fans are paying, but it's just to send a message.

Pascal Leclaire

It's the kind of statement that can haunt an expert for a long time, potentially putting them «on the spot» - and not necessarily for the right reasons.

I'm really trying to understand what Leclaire meant, but I just can't seem to figure it out.

Is he criticizing Caufield for scoring too many goals? For scoring too many similar goals? It will be interesting to see if the expert manages to clarify his position in the coming hours.