Free washer | After Matthew Boldy, Cole Caufield?

Matthew Boldy has just signed a seven-year contract worth seven million per season with the Minnesota Wild. Cole Caufield’s clan is undoubtedly watching the case evolve with a watchful eye.

Boldy was drafted at 12^e rank in 2019, three places ahead of Caufield. The two left the American college ranks at the same time, in the spring of 2021.

The young Wild forward, from Milford, Mass., had 29 points, including 12 goals, in 42 games on the left of the second line, following a 39-point season in 47 games last year.

Caufield is nevertheless much more productive this year. His 26 goals in 44 games, a pace of 48 over a full season, place him at 9^e rank of NHL scorers, behind among others McDavid, Ovechkin, Rantanen and Jack Hughes, the first overall pick in 2019.

Boldy, however, has a different role at the Wild. He is a power forward in his purest form from the top of his 6 feet 2 inches and 201 pounds.

The Wild player has 68 points in 89 games since the start of his career, or 0.76 points per game. Caufield has amassed 84 points in 121 games, for an average of 0.69, but he has 71 points in 81 games since the arrival of Martin St-Louis, or 0.88 points per game.

Boldy’s next contract sets the floor for Caufield. The team’s captain and leading scorer, Nick Suzuki, whose new contract took effect this year, earns 7.8 million per season.

Do we dare give Caufield a contract worth more than that of Suzuki? Probably not, but it will come close. We must thank Marc Bergevin here. We could criticize him for being too generous towards his veterans, but for the contracts of players aged 25 and under, he had a flair. Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, Phillip Danault and David Desharnais have produced beyond their salary value for many seasons.

After Jack Hughes, Matt Boldy

Matt Boldy therefore becomes the second player of the 2019 vintage after the first overall choice Jack Hughes to hit the jackpot. Hughes signed his eight-year contract for 8 million in November 2021 and fully justifies his salary with 110 points in just 92 games since the start of the 2021-2022 season. It is also undoubtedly the ceiling for Caufield.

The second choice in total, Kaapo Kakko, who finally seems to hatch quietly in New York, must be satisfied with a modest two-year bridge contract.

Kirby Dach, sixth in the crop for points this season behind Hughes, Cozens, Zegras, Boldy and Caufield with 27 points en route to producing 50 points, is making 3.3 million this season and will collect the same amount in of the next three years. A brilliant move from Kent Hughes so far.

Moritz Seider, Dylan Cozens, and Trevor Zegras should be next with Caufield to break the bank. Alex Turcotte, Vasili Podkolzin, and Victor Soderstrom are still in the AHL and Philip Broberg is still clinging to a job in Edmonton.

Bill Guerin and the problems of the ceiling

Signing Boldy will cause headaches for Bill Guerin. The GM of the Wild will have to make a trade to retain some of his other promising players. He will only have nine million available for goaltender Filip Gustavsson, Sam Steel, Calen Addison, Mason Shaw and Brandon Duhaime, not to mention the eventual unrestricted free agent Frédérick Gaudreau, even with the departure of defenseman Matt Boldy and his salary of 6 million in the free agent market, according to capfriendly.com.

Guerin still has to deal with the remnants of the contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, bought out by Guerin in July 2021. The two had signed a 13-year contract for 98 million in 2012. The remaining salary of the two will occupy 14.7 million on the payroll next year and the 2024-2025 season.

The sum hurts, but the redemption of these contracts allowed the Wild to release 10.3 million last year and 2.3 million this season. We now have to live with the consequences of this takeover for the next two years…