Cole Caufield knew he would become an even richer young man. But this new eight-year, $62.8 million deal surpasses his wildest dreams.
See Caufield’s press briefing in the video above.
“It’s really a lot of money,” Caufield said with a smile on his face during a videoconference. To tell you the truth, it doesn’t make sense to me! I could dream of that as a child, but I could not imagine such a number.
“When I put the money aside, I especially rejoice at the idea of staying in a city like Montreal. I love playing for the Canadiens so much. With this contract, I secure the financial future of my family. It’s huge. I can’t be prouder. My parents and my friends are also very happy for me.”
“I consider Montreal my second home or my first, whatever you want to say, he continued. The two clans had the same objective, we wanted to find a long-term agreement.
With this new pact, Caufield will earn an average of 7.85 million per season until 2030-31.
Kent Hughes and Geoff Molson had said it more than once since the end of last season. They were hopeful of concluding a contract fairly quickly with their star striker. The Canadian has kept its promise by settling this file more than three months before the opening of the next season.
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A little less than Suzuki
Strategically, Hughes also stuck to his team’s salary scale by not offering Caufield a more lucrative deal than his captain, Nick Suzuki.
Caufield (7.85 million) will receive a salary virtually identical to that of Suzuki (7.875 million). Only $25,000 separates the two great accomplices. In the world of hockey, it’s a tiny difference. That’s practically the price of a round of beers during a game at the Bell Centre.
Suzuki signed an eight-year, $63 million contract extension on October 12, 2021. This agreement will expire in 2029-2030. At that time, Marc Bergevin still occupied the seat of general manager.
There will be no jealousy between the captain and number 22.
“I understood this reality and the Canadian had the same vision, acknowledged the winger from Wisconsin. Nick is our man, our leader. I will make lots and lots of money. So I have nothing to complain about. And I want to continue this adventure for a long time with Nick.”
“We will continue to grow, Nick and I, he chained. We have already built some special things. We will improve, we will want to act as leaders and push the players in the right direction. We have a beautiful energy. We spoke on Sunday evening. We want to play here, we want to be successful. We want to win, we put the money aside.”
A logical agreement
The newspaper had dissected the contracts of six young star strikers to offer plausible comparisons for Caufield’s future pact.
At an average salary of 7.85 million, the first-round choice of CH in 2019 won a jackpot that lived up to expectations. He will touch a little more than Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabers) and Matthew Boldy (Minnesota Wild), but less than Tim Stutzle (Ottawa Senators).
Cozens and Boldy, two other first-round picks from the excellent 2019 crop, have agreed to seven-year contract extensions for 7.1 million and 7 million respectively.
The CH therefore found a way to root Caufield for one more season by offering him a little more money.
A marker
At 5’7″ and 174 lbs, Caufield is one of the smallest players in the NHL. But he never suffered from his size. He quickly established himself as one of the good scorers on the circuit.
In 46 games last year, he scored 26 goals and had 10 assists for 36 points. He would most likely have reached 40 goals for the first time in his career if he hadn’t suffered a left shoulder injury.
Caufield saw his season come to an abrupt end due to shoulder surgery last January.
“For about ten days, I received approval to resume all my activities, specified Caufield about his injury. It’s really good. It was a long time for me. […] I’ve been skating two or three times a week for the past month and I’ve started taking shots again. I’m going to have all summer to make sure I’m back 100%. I’m not worried at all, considering how things are going right now.”
The detailed contract
Capfriendly.com quickly published details of Caufield’s deal.
2023-2024: 4.975 million and 5 million in bonuses
2024-2025: 4.975 million and 5 million in bonuses
2025-2026: 9.975 million
2026-2027: 8.705 million
2027-2028: 6.215 million
2028-2029: 5.985 million and no-trade clause with 15 teams
2029-2030: 5.985 million and no-trade clause with 10 teams
2030-2031: 5.985 million and no-trade clause with 5 teams