Cole Caufield’s all-around game has taken major steps, but he’s still not satisfied

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah There was a moment in the Montreal Canadiens shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night that was relatively minor, but reflective of how Cole Caufield has evolved as a player without the puck, and also of how much more important he has become to the team as a result.

Advertisement It came early in the game, before either team had scored, but thats what makes that transformation in Caufield more revealing.

He takes his defensive responsibilities seriously, and he does so on every shift.

Watch as Mike Matheson works his way toward the offensive blue line here, and more specifically, watch how Caufield takes a cautious approach to all of it.

That play is relatively banal, but it speaks to a change in mindset in Caufields game.

As Matheson approached the Dallas blue line, Caufield recognized he was the third forward back, and instead of trying to hit the blue line with speed to take advantage of the entry Matheson was trying to pull off, he approached the blue line cautiously, just in case Matheson wasnt able to pull it off.

And when Matheson ultimately lost the puck, Caufield was right there to apply pressure.

This is not how Caufield has always operated, but ever since Martin St.

Louis came in as head coach nearly three years ago, he has focused on improving Caufields play away from the puck.

And more importantly, it is something Caufield has bought into, that he needs to be better away from the puck, better on puck retrievals, better in puck battles.

And right now, its showing more than it ever has in his NHL career.

Caufield is tied for seventh in the NHL in goals with 23, but more importantly, he is tied for first in the NHL in five-on-five goals with 16.

He is not what he used to be: a power play specialist who was largely a drag on his team at even strength.

And thats because he has worked at it and bought into what St.

Louis wants him to become.

Caufield is becoming an all-around player.

With defensive positioning, hes being really responsible, Nick Suzuki said.

Hes winning a lot of puck battles, hes been really good on the forecheck and thats been helping me out.

We can use each other, winning battles and finding each other really quickly in the slot.

Hes been scoring at a high rate and doing good things for the team.

I think hes really bought into that and hes showing thats the way to play.

Advertisement When Caufield was at Wisconsin and when he first arrived in Montreal, he evaluated his play largely based on how many goals he scored.

It was normal; that was always what he was best at.

But even though Caufield went on a goal-scoring spree as soon as St.

Louis was hired as coach, that marked the moment he was being taught to define himself differently.

Scoring goals will always be a central part of Caufields identity as a player, but it is no longer the only thing he looks at in self-evaluating.

And that is what is making his all-around game better.

Its still early for me, Caufield said Monday after practice.

I feel good with where Im at, but theres always another level you want to get to.

For me, this should be, I wouldnt say the floor because I feel Im playing pretty well right now, but this should be the standard.

Just building off that and staying confident and whether you have points or not, you can always go back to how you played your overall game.

Did you help the team? Did you lose shifts? Did you win more battles than you lost? But I still feel theres a lot more out there for me.

Its just going to come with time and playing more games, but I like thats where Im headed right now.

Im just not satisfied.

That thing about winning more puck battles than you lost is central to how Caufield evaluates his game.

He has spoken to St.

Louis a lot about that.

It is a point of emphasis for him.

And showing his linemates that he can win more puck battles than he loses is central to how his line can play in the offensive zone.

Suzuki noted how if he feels his teammate is more likely to win a puck battle than lose it, he can put himself in an offensively advantageous position as opposed to coming in as puck support.

And thats something he feels he can do more often than not when Caufield is in a puck battle in the offensive zone.

Advertisement If I see someone going into a puck battle, if its more in favour of the defensive team, Ill probably go a bit closer, Suzuki said.

But if I feel like were going to have possession pretty quick, Ill put myself in a better offensive position.

I think you have to have trust in your teammates that way, and weve been able to do that with everyone recently.

And over the years Caufield has been in Montreal, hes had an excellent role model for how he needs to approach puck battles at his size.

Id say getting on the inside and getting lower, Caufield said of the strategies hes developed to win puck battles.

Honestly, watching ( Brendan Gallagher ) helps a lot.

He might not be doing it as much with the speed he used to have, but hes still very effective at those things.

He never quits, hes never out of it.

So for me, just kind of being a dog on a bone, trying to get first touch and trying to get out of there as fast as I can.

When I get in there second, I feel better with pushing a guy in there, I just feel more confident doing that in a battle.

That confidence is showing on the ice.

But it is showing across the team as well.

And the recent winning, Caufield said, has created an environment where it is easier to focus on areas of your game you need to improve.

When hockey people say it is easier to develop talent in a winning environment, this is what they mean.

Now theres a different vibe in the room with winning games.

It doesnt really matter who gets it done when youre able to come back to the locker room and be happy with your teammates, Caufield said.

You can look back at the things you want to fix and I wouldnt say they get washed under the table when you win, but its definitely an easier feeling to talk about it with your teammates and go over video that way.

I like where our teams at, everybodys on the same page, it feels good to win.

Havent really done much of that the past couple of years.

Now its kind of addictive for us, but still a ways to go...

From a team perspective, its easier to look at things when youre winning and kind of iron out those things you want to get better at.

When youre losing, youre just constantly beating at the same thing.

It can take a toll negativity-wise, but at that point youve got to figure it out because youre losing.

But now, its easier.

I mean, a lot of guys are playing well, I wouldnt say theres a lot of things to talk about, but its just the little details where we all want to be on the same page.

Advertisement Caufield should be able to recognize that he is not the same player he was when he arrived in Montreal.

He is no longer a one-dimensional scorer or a power-play specialist.

He is becoming a good forechecker, a puck battler, an all-around NHL forward.

But the most important thing is his all-around game has not taken away from his ability to score goals, and he is not satisfied with what hes accomplished.

He still wants more.

For the future of the Canadiens, that is the best news of all.

(Top photo of Cole Caufield: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.