Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield's summer mission: 'get bigger, faster and

Scoring 50 goals, especially in Montreal, can be a blessing and a curse, as Cole Caufield is about to experience.

Once a player reaches that elusive plateau, it’s expected to be eclipsed again, season after season.

But Caufield, who scored 51 goals last season — becoming the first Canadien since Stéphane Richer in 1989-90 to achieve that feat — said there are more compelling matters that deserve his attention heading into training camp.

“I’m more worried about our team improving and doing things better,” Caufield said Monday before the Canadiens’ annual golf tournament. “I couldn’t care less about whatever happened last year. I’m just excited to get this year going and excited to get back to work.”

That work began Wednesday, when players underwent medicals in Brossard. The team’s first training camp practices are Thursday morning.

“Last year is last year,” Caufield said. “This is a fresh start to a new opportunity to do more things. I just want to improve my overall game and keep finding ways to get better. I just tried to get bigger, faster and stronger — work on the little things on the ice. I don’t think there’s one thing I took an interest in this summer. I just tried to work on everything I could and focused on one thing at a time.”

After going three games in early April without scoring, Caufield produced his 50th goal on April 9 against Tampa Bay, becoming only the seventh player in franchise history to crack that barrier. Caufield scored at 6:30 of the second period, taking a pass from Nick Suzuki on the rush and beating Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to the blocker side from the right circle, providing the Canadiens with a 1-0 lead during a 2-1 victory.

Two nights later against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Caufield scored his 51st. He was held without a goal in Montreal’s final two regular-season games.

While Caufield had six goals and 13 points in 19 playoff games, he didn’t have a multi-goal match and was held to two goals in the five-game loss against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. Caufield discovered that playoff hockey is different and his 5-foot-8, 175-pound frame didn’t necessarily work to his advantage, especially against the hard-checking Hurricanes.

While Caufield offered no predictions, he believes the Canadiens are on the precipice of making a serious playoff run for numerous seasons.

“It’s pretty special … where the team is going. The direction,” he said. “(Chris) Kreider is a big signing for us. The goals and expectations don’t change in our room. We always keep them high. We’re just chasing standards that we want to keep lifting. I think we’re in a good spot, obviously, (but) everybody starts at zero. There’s a long way to go.

“You don’t want to go backwards in any year and it’s not going to get any easier. We have a group of guys here that want to win and compete. It’s a very exciting time to be in this locker room. I think everybody’s hoping we keep this going. Maybe it’s the start of something special.”

Caufield and Suzuki were happy to hear about the four-year contract extension agreed to this week by head coach Martin St. Louis, taking him through the 2029-30 season. While St. Louis had no NHL coaching experience when he was hired on an interim basis in 2022, he and the players have continued to grow each season.

The Canadiens have improved and climbed in the standings annually, going from 68 points in 2022-23 — St. Louis’s first full season — to 76, 91 and 106 last year.

“That was the biggest change,” Suzuki said about St. Louis on Monday. “It was pretty dark in those days. We were losing and finishing last in the whole league. Marty found ways to challenge us. He kept things fun and light and told us, ‘Don’t let the pressure get to you.’

“Every year, we’ve gotten better. It has been exciting. Guys are becoming really good players in this league. The culture has shaped a lot of us (and) pushed a lot of us to get better. Marty has been a huge part of that. He’s probably my favourite coach ever. I feel like he has gotten better every year. He has pushed us. He’s such a hockey nerd. He wants to get better and wants everyone on the team to get better.”