HEY, ROOKIE!

Judging by his performance in the playoffs, Cole Caufield enters the season as the favorite to win the Montreal Canadiens’ first Calder Trophy since 1972. (Checks notes. Seriously? It’s been that long? That’s 50 years!) But he’ll have some stiff competition. Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras played 24 games last season, so he qualifies. Quinton Byfield in Los Angeles was a standout as an 18-year-old in the AHL. Moritz Seider will see regular minutes on Detroit’s blueline, and, since nobody ever knows which Sergei Bobrovsky will show up anymore, Spencer Knight could get a lot of quality starts in Florida. And after a truly frightening COVID-19 experience last season, Marco Rossi will arrive in Minnesota.