Montreal Canadiens Find Value In Cole Caufield New Contract

The Montreal Canadiens on Monday announced the contract extension for Cole Caufield. Caufield’s next contract is an eight-year deal worth, $62.8 million. The contract carries a salary cap hit of $7.85 million.

What is so impressive about the contract that Caufield signed is that Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes got him in under a salary hierarchy.

The Canadiens know the best teams that consistently compete year in and year out and keep the players’ salaries structured in such a way that it allows management to put the best possible team on the ice moving forward. That is why it was so important not to have Caufield go over captain Nick Suzuki‘s annual average value of $7.875 million.

While there were reports of Caufield wanting $8 million a season, he had yet to put up the type of numbers to warrant that type of salary. Nobody will deny he is not that type of player, getting money to what his former USA Hockey National Team Development Program (UTDP) and current New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes makes did not make sense for the Canadiens. They are also two different players. But that was comparable.

And as Caufield only gets better and better under head coach Martin St. Louis, that contract that he just signed will have even more value. Similar to what the Devils are getting with Hughes and his deal. It was a steal then to sign him to an eight-year deal with $8 million AAV and it is a steal now. Hughes’s production is only going up as he is turning into a perennial Hart Trophy candidate.

The Canadiens, have that same value in Cole Caufield. Think about it for a minute. When Caufield came into the league he was just a rookie. He had just finished his second season with the University of Wisconsin winning the Hobey Baker Award recording 30 goals and 52 points in the season. Their first-round pick from the 2019 NHL Draft played in 10 games recording five points (one goal and four assists). About half a point per game.

That number increased in the playoffs as he made an impact for the Canadiens on their trip to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. As a matter of fact, Cole Caufield played a major role as he was the third leading scoring on the team. He recorded 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 20 games. That was about .60 points per game.

However, the following season, the Canadiens struggled, especially Caufield. He could not find his scoring touch under then-head coach Dominique Ducharme, his talent was not being used to the best of his abilities. Everyone saw what he could do in the playoffs. Going back to his days at Wisconsin and the UTDP, his record 72 goals in the 2018-19 season, still stands to this day, something was off.

In the 40 games under Ducharme, he registered 13 points (five goals and eight assists). That’s .33 points per game. Down drastically from the games prior. Enter Martin St. Louis.

St. Louis has really helped Caufield gain confidence in his ability as a smaller player in the league. Not to mention, St. Louis has allowed him to be more offensively minded. In 83 games under St. Louis, Caufield has 71 points including 48 goals to go with his 23 assists. That is .86 points per game. St. Louis has really helped Caufield develop and he said so during his press availability on Monday.

“Obviously, Marty’s going to teach me a lot; he already has to this day,” Caufield said. “So a big part of it was him, but I couldn’t be more thankful to be a part of this organization.”

Prior to getting injured and being shut down for the season, Caufield recorded 36 points (26 goals and 10 assists) in 46 games. He once again led the team in goals scored this time with teammate and captain Nick Suzuki. That is the second straight season he has led the team in goals scored. Expect that number to go up.

Even from a fantasy hockey perspective, Cole Caufield is projected to hit 40-45 goals next season. He could easily hit 50 as he develops his shot even more. The Canadiens found value in this contract along with Suzuki. They have their two brightest stars locked up for eight years as reasonable AAVs.

Not to mention Brendan Gallagher‘s $6.5 million and Josh Anderson‘s $5.5 million salary cap hits that run through the 2026-27 season, the Canadiens are in a good place cap-wise.

The future is bright for the Montreal Canadiens with Suzuki and Caufield locked up with both players only getting better.