Cole Caufield Wins 51-Goal Trophée Lady Byng
Cole Caufield won the trophée lady byng on Friday after a 51-goal season that also came with just seven minor penalties. The Montreal Canadiens right wing became the club’s first 50-goal scorer in 36 years, and the NHL’s award puts a formal league stamp on that rare mix of production and restraint.
Caufield and the Canadiens
His scoring total was the sharp edge of the case. Caufield posted a career-high 51 goals in 2025-26, then added the discipline vote-makers rewarded by keeping his minor-penalty total to seven.
That combination separated him from the rest of the field. The Lady Byng Trophy goes to the player voted to best combine sportsmanship with playing ability, and this year’s result placed Caufield ahead of a group that included a three-time winner.
Anze Kopitar in the vote
Recently retired Los Angeles Kings centre Anze Kopitar finished second in the voting. Ottawa defenceman Jake Sanderson was third. Those placements show how narrow the race was behind Caufield, even with a veteran name like Kopitar in the mix.
For Montreal, the award lands on top of a milestone season for one of its top forwards. Caufield’s 51 goals were enough to break a 36-year team drought for 50-goal scorers, and the Lady Byng gives that scoring run a different kind of recognition: not just volume, but control.
June 5, 2026
The news was first published on June 5, 2026. For a Canadiens team that now has a 51-goal winger decorated for both output and discipline, the season’s most important number may be the one that sits beside his name in the trophy case.
