Habs’ Cole Caufield and Canes’ Max Pacioretty dealt awful injury news
Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield will undergo surgery to his right shoulder and miss the rest of the season, the team said Saturday.
The team said the procedure will take place “in the near future” and an update will be provided after surgery.
His loss is a huge blow for the Canadiens, who are mired in last place in the Atlantic Division.
Cole Caufield out for season
It’s unclear when Caufield sustained the injury, but Sportsnet said Saturday that he’d been “playing with this shoulder injury for a while.”
The team also announced that forward Jonathan Drouin had been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 16 with an upper-body injury.
Caufield, 22, was the Canadiens’ first-round draft pick in 2019. He leads the team in goals (26) and has 36 points in 46 games season, one behind team leader Nick Suzuki.
In 123 career games since he joined the team late in the 2020-21 season, Caufield has 84 points (53 goals, 31 assists).
Drouin, 27, has no goals and 12 assists in 28 games.
In 455 career games with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2014-17) and Canadiens, Drouin has tallied 75 goals and 189 assists. He was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2013 draft.
Max Pacioretty tears Achilles again

The Carolina Hurricanes said Max Pacioretty tore his right Achilles tendon and placed the forward on injured reserve Friday.
“He’s not in very good spirits, as you know,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said after the team’s Friday practice.
News and Observer
Pacioretty went down with a noncontact injury during Thursday’s win over the Minnesota Wild and needed to be helped off the ice by trainers. An MRI Friday confirmed the injury’s severity, according to the Hurricanes.
Pacioretty suffered the same injury in August, one month after the Hurricanes acquired him in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.
The 34-year-old missed the start of the season while recovering from surgery and made his Carolina debut Jan. 5. He scored three goals in five games this season.
Pacioretty is in his 15th NHL season after time with the Montreal Canadiens (2008-18) and Vegas (2018-22).
A corresponding roster move was not yet announced.
–Field Level Media