The 22-year old is going to be the centerpiece of whatever success the Canadiens have in the future. This season, he had 36 points in 46 games, while having 43 points in 67 games last year.
So, how exactly does this impact the Hawks? Well, the Canadiens were bad, and now they just got worse. They are ahead of the Hawks by 11 points, but without Caufield, they might as well begin to trade away their veteran assets and prepare for the future.
At the moment, the Hawks are a solid 11 points behind the Canadiens with 3 less games played, but that can change quickly following this injury update on Caufield.
The Hawks have been winning a decent amount in the last couple of weeks, but they need to knock that off immediately. After a string of wins, the Hawks are now 2 points ahead of the Blue Jackets, even with 2 less games played.