Cole Caufield's injury: Here's what we know now

Let's just say that it's possibly the worst case scenario for the Habs to lose one of their two best offensive players in Cole Caufield or Nick Suzuki. The severity of the injury to number 22 is the question on everyone's mind as he is the team's leading goal scorer.

For now, here is what we know about the situation.

First, Caufield was hit solidly in the second period against the Flames. It should be noted that the contact was accidental and was the result of an unlucky play.

Second, the Canadiens announced that he would not be returning to the game.

At this point, we're talking about an upper-body injury. In hockey injuries, concussions are referred to as "upper body injuries". Based on the force of the contact the 21-year-old American suffered, without guaranteeing anything, concussion seems to be one of the most likely diagnoses.

Following the game, Juraj Slafkovsky breaks down and admits that he knows what's going on with Cole and mentions that he should be okay.

Of course, with Slafkovsky, there is always a language barrier. English is not his first language, so his words can sometimes be misinterpreted because of a bad translation.

However, he did take the time to mention that he himself has gone through the concussion protocol a few times this year. That still says a lot about the situation. If you read between the lines, that's most likely what happened with Caufield, but don't take that as cash.

Finally, in a press briefing, Martin St. Louis simply said that Cole would be tested tomorrow (today) and that we should know more at that time about his health.

So we can expect an official update on that front today.

If the concussion is confirmed, we can expect Caufield to miss at least a week, as outlined in the National League's concussion protocol rules.

This will be an absolutely devastating absence for the CH, as there are four games to play between now and next Monday. This means that number 22 could miss several important games in the next few days.

In 28 games this season, the CH forward has scored 16 goals and 25 points. His absence could be very painful!

Credit: Vincent Fournier, LetsGoHabs.com

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