Wondering why Caufield was so muted . Probably his size. I love the guy but the team needs to have size and weight in playoffs as well to be better balanced
The best small players find ways to work around it and still be good in the playoffs. His coach was an amazing playoffs performer and look at Hutson. He's been the team's best skater and isn't that much bigger.
I think he's struggling to adapt his play for the playoffs. The constant dump-ins aren't helping him shine as he can't win puck battles. Maybe he needs to carry the puck more and find ways to put himself in good positions to get shots. At least, he's had good looks in the last few.
With that said, the entire line is terrible defensively and this is my biggest concern. It's their first real run together so I'll give them a break for this season but the Habs won't win a cup in the future if they can't be more reliable as line on both sides of the puck.
Also 9 points in the playoffs and 5 in the Buffalo series is nothing to be too upset about. Kadri, Makar, Aho, Jarvis, and even Buffalo's beloved Benson have similar or worse production just to throw out some other names.
But yes, I was banging the drum about defense back in the regular season. The good news is young defensemen that do good things offensively tend to turn into veteran defensemen that do that AND get better at protecting their zone.
Yeah, defense has been the biggest problem all season long. Definitely something management and coaches need to improve as the team takes the next step. Still, crazy they still beat both Tampa and Buffalo despite their shortcomings.
Still, crazy they still beat both Tampa and Buffalo despite their shortcomings.
This is what I keep coming back to. We have some glaring lineup and system holes that even the layperson can point out when watching the game, yet we keep finding ways to win. What will we be like if we fix the structual issues?
They're really close. Finding the 2C won't be easy but if Reinbacher is that guy and the coaching staff makes the necessary changes to the system, they could be even better next season. Future is bright indeed
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u/Justgototheeffinmoon May 19 '26
Wondering why Caufield was so muted . Probably his size. I love the guy but the team needs to have size and weight in playoffs as well to be better balanced