There is no better place to point out revisionist history than draft picks, especially first-round draft picks. Looking at a re-draft often makes teams look awful, knowing what we know today. Heck, look at Tom Fitzgerald’s draft history. If Fitz had a crystal ball, he’d have Logan Cooley, Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, Seth Jarvis, and J.J. Peterka. He’d also still have his job if he had taken those players instead of the ones he actually took.
We also get some of the worst “takes” on social media when it comes to these re-drafts. When a team gets a really good pick higher than expected, they will argue that they got the best guy in the draft.
Sometimes there are legs to these arguments. Other times, these arguments are insane. Oftentimes, the insane arguments come from some of the most fervent fanbases in the NHL. Possibly at the top of that list is the Montreal Canadiens fanbase. The bigger fanbases often have some of the most people on the extremes with their opinions, but the Canadiens often take the cake.
With Caufield breaking the 50-goal threshold for the first time this season, he’s getting his flowers from the fanbase. The Canadiens are the team that took the biggest step towards contention of the teams in the middle, a step the New Jersey Devils hoped to make. Still, nobody with a brain is taking the Canadiens third-best player over a legit superstar in New Jersey.
No way does Montreal think they got the best guy in this draft https://t.co/hfVbpKDrli
— Pucks and Pitchforks (@pitchforkedpuck) April 10, 2026
Flat out, Jack Hughes is better than Cole Caufield
Caufield is having a nice season, but let’s be realistic here. Moritz Seider is a player who is in most people’s top three. Hughes is there, as well. The only excuse many can come up with for not having Hughes there is his injury history. We’d understand more if this season’s injury wasn’t as insane as it was. Hughes missed time because someone or something cut his hand during a team dinner in Chicago. The season prior, Jack Eichel tripped him from behind.
It’s not like he’s pulling muscles or tearing ligaments from his play style. It’s truly just bad luck. And yet, Hughes has still played way more games in his career than Caufield. Yes, Caufield played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin, then a full season for the Laval Rocket, but that has to do with Caufield’s value.
Also, look at the Team USA situation. Hughes scored the Golden Goal. Caufield watched the Golden Goal while on vacation. Meanwhile, fellow 2019 draft pick Matthew Boldy also made the team, and he's be another one that people have ranked ahead of Caufield for his body of work.
Hughes is 13th in the league in points per 60 minutes (5-game minimum), and Caufield is 10th. However, Caufield is shooting an unfathomable 20% this season, which Hughes is shooting 12%. Hughes is actually taking more shots per game than Caufield is this season.
When you look at the past three seasons, which doesn’t even include Hughes’s 99-point season in 22-23, the Devils star is ninth in the league in points per 60 minutes (minimum 10 games). Hughes has 3.41 points per 60 since 2023-24. Caufield has under three, good for 41st in the league.
We’re truly happy for Caufield. We’re glad an American skater hit 50 goals, and we even advocated for him during the 2019 draft. He’s not Jack Hughes, and we don’t see him ever getting to that level of player.