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1st choice + Caufield for Celebrini: Mathias Brunet gives his opinion
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

1st choice + Caufield for Celebrini: Mathias Brunet gives his opinion

Originally posted on Dose.ca  |  Last updated 3/27/24

Cole Caufield is having a respectable season.

We expected him to be able to score more goals… But after 71 games played, he has scored 20 goals.

The diminutive forward still boasts 55 points this season, which is no mean feat. But then again, the Habs offered him a big contract because his job, well… it’s mostly to put the puck in the net.

The American is part of the team’s long-term core, and he should play a big role in the club’s success when the Habs are ready to win.

Caufield is a sure bet with the organization, because he’s already proven himself in the NHL…

But Mathias Brunet, in order to get the first overall pick in the next draft, who’s already Macklin Celibrini, wouldn’t hesitate to trade Caufield for the team’s first pick in the next draft:

Your first and Cole for Celebrini? Well, yes (I do). – Mathias Brunet

The conversation took place on Martin Lemay’s show (BPM Sports), and he too agrees with the La Presse journalist:

Mathias Brunet explains that Caufield has the potential to be a good 35-40 goal scorer in the regular season… But that it might be harder in the playoffs because there’s less space on the rink.

That’s a good point, because Caufield is a guy who likes to create space for his shots. On the other side of the coin, the young man played an important role in the team’s playoff run in 2021, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Why should things be any different, when he’s already proven he can play at the top level of the National League?

On the other side of the coin, it’s not every day that GMs have the opportunity to trade for the services of a generational talent like Macklin Celibrini. You have to spend money to get it, and even if it’s not popular with fans, it’s still business at the end of the day.

Remember the general reaction when we learned that Kent Hughes had sacrificed Alex Romanov to get Dach? That said, are we missing Romanov in Montreal today?

I’m not saying that Cole Caufield is easily forgettable. He’s been a crowd favorite for a few years, he’s good on camera and he fits in Montreal because he’s got a big personality.

But just thinking about the idea of getting your hands on a Celibrini, who has the potential to be a 100-point NHLer before too long… Makes you think.

In short

– All the best.

– That’s it.

– It’s up to him to bounce back.

– Oh?

– To his credit.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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