1. Sports
2. NHL
3. Montreal Canadiens
4. Hockey Inside Out
5. Hockey

Rookie still looking for his first goal after 12 games with Habs and following a six-game stint with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Canadiens’ Cole Caufield controls the puck with one hand during third period of National Hockey League game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Montreal Thursday November 18, 2021. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

This isn’t how things were expected to go for the Canadiens’ Cole Caufield.

Heading into this season, Caufield was considered a favourite to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie — and rightfully so. The 20-year-old right-winger had won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in U.S. college last season with the University of Wisconsin, posting 30-22-52 totals in 31 games. He then had 3-1-4 totals in two games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before making his NHL debut and posting 4-1-5 totals in 10 regular-season games with the Canadiens.

After being a healthy scratch for the first two games of the playoffs, Caufield earned a regular spot in the lineup and had 4-8-12 totals in 20 games. There were plenty of Canadiens sweaters with No. 22 and Caufield’s name on the back at the Bell Centre when this season started.…