Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield will have surgery on his right shoulder and his season is over.
This was announced by team management in a brief press release Saturday morning, less than 12 hours before the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.
In the press release, the management of the Habs mentions that the injury will require surgery “in the near future”. An update on his rehabilitation period will be issued following the medical procedure, but his season has been determined to be over.
In his third season with the Habs, Caufield scored 26 goals and added 10 assists in 46 games in 2022-23. Last year, Caufield had 23 goals and 43 points in 67 games.
The Canadiens’ first-round pick, 15th overall, in 2019, the 22-year-old winger has 53 goals and 84 points in 123 career NHL games.
On Friday, Caufield met with the media and answered questions about his contract situation. He had notably admitted to being happy in Montreal and at the Canadiens.
“I love playing here. I love the team and the group of guys. But let’s take it one step at a time,” Caufield said.
The Wisconsin-born striker also added that he let his agent Pat Brisson do his job, without getting too involved in the talks, which are ongoing.
These comments followed those of general manager Kent Hughes on Wednesday during his mid-season review.
Hughes then admitted that he wanted to see Caufield stay with the Habs long-term and that he believed the American maverick also wanted to stay in Montreal for a long time.
In another vein, the Canadian also announced that the name of forward Jonathan Drouin had been added to the injured list retroactively to January 16.
The Canadian has announced the recall of forward Alex Belzile from his Laval Rocket school club.