Before the start of the regular season, most experts thought Cole Caufield and his good friend Trevor Zegras would be vying for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL's rookie of the year. So far, the two have collected only one assist (each), leaving them out of the fight for the Rookie of the Year award at this point.
They are a far cry from Raymond, O'Connor, Lundell and Seider who have been on fire since the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Raymond scored a hat trick on Sunday to become the first 19-and-under player to do so since Steve Yzerman in 1985.
To come back and compete with this team, Caufield will have to get back to the form he showed in the last playoffs, when he was nothing short of masterful. To break out of this slump, he needs to build on the game against the Red Wings, when he looked more confident.
He needs to avoid thinking too much, he needs to move his feet, he needs to use his speed, he needs to use his laser more often and he needs to receive the puck on massive attacks. He needs to showcase the main strength of his arsenal, which is his innate ability to score in spades.
