Cole Caufield has been one of the bright spots in a miserable campaign for the Montreal Canadiens, but the sniper's season is over after suffering a right shoulder injury, the team announced on Saturday.
“Caufield suffered a season-ending injury to his right shoulder and will undergo surgery in the near future,” the official release read. “An update of his recovery period will be issued after the medical procedures.”
The 22-year-old winger played his last game of the season against the Florida Panthers on Thursday; the team says that he's been playing with the injury for a while.
It's a huge loss for the Canadiens, as Caufield has a team-leading 26 goals and ten assists for 36 points in 46 games this season. The 15th overall pick of Montreal in the 2019 NHL Draft, Caufield has scored 53 times and added 31 assists for 84 points in 123 career NHL games.
The Wisconsin native can become a restricted free agent this summer, and resigning him to a long-term deal will be one of the primary goals for general manager Kent Hughes this offseason.
The team also announced that forward Jonathan Drouin has been place on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 16; the team recalled Alex Belzile from AHL Laval in a corresponding move.
The Habs sit in dead last place in the NHL's Eastern Conference with a 19-24-3 record, but that still puts them ahead of six Western Conference clubs as the Connor Bedard sweepstakes heat up.
The Canadiens will face rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night in their first game without Cole Caufield.
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