Habs head coach Dom Ducharme infers that rookie Cole Caufield could be sent down to the AHL

The current iteration of the Montreal Canadiens does not look anything like the team who scored upset wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance just a few short months ago.

The Habs currently hold a 2-8-0 record through 10 games this season and have certainly not looked anywhere near as dangerous as they did in the postseason, likely due, at least in part, to the loss of Phillip Danault to the Los Angeles Kings in free agency.

Another reason for the team's struggles has been an underwhelming start from rookie sensation Cole Caufield, who has managed just 1 lone assist across 10 games to start the season.

Caufield had been a key contributor for the Habs during the postseason, racking up 4 goals and 12 points in 20 games, looking dangerous every time he shot the puck. The team had expected him to take a bit step forward this season, as one of the Calder Trophy favourites coming into this season. Simply put, he has not taken that step and the Habs aren't sure how to proceed with him.

Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme met with the media following Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks and was asked if the organization might consider assigning the young sniper to the AHL's Laval Rocket this season.

«We are looking at all the options for all the players," was the English translation of Ducharme's response, not doing much to dissuade the idea.

This is starting to look eerily similar to the Jesperi Kotkaniemi situation, in that the Habs also brought Kotkaniemi up early and were forced to send him down when he began to struggle.

The Canadiens are next in action on Tuesday against the visiting Detroit Red Wings, so I assume that we won't have to wait long to see how this all unfolds. Perhaps the Habs can take a similar approach with Caufield as to the one they took in the playoffs, having him watch some games from the press box before being inserted back into the lineup.

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