Cole Caufield’s long term contract extension with Canadiens is a win-win

The Montreal Canadiens signed Cole Caufield to a new contract the team announced on Monday. The long term deal is beneficial to both Caufield and the future of the team.

Cole Caufield’s long term contract extension with Canadiens is a win-win

Cole Caufield played in 46 games in 2022-23, during those games he put up 26 goals, and 36 points playing his last game on January 19 against the Florida Panthers. His season was cut short after undergoing should surgery.

In Caufield’s 123 game career thus far, he has put up 53 goals and 84 points.  Due in part of his height, Caufield fell to the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Draft at number 15. He has a really remarkable shot and is someone who could very well turn into one of the best goal scorers in the NHL, and now the Canadiens have him at a great price for the foreseeable future.

The Canadiens signed Caufield to an eight year contract through 2030-31 with an average annual value of $7.85 million, making him the second highest paid forward on the team.

The Canadiens captain, Nick Suzuki, is the current highest paid forward on the team carrying a cap hit just $25,000 more than Caufield. The team now has their star duo locked in for the long term, and now know what they are going to be building around for the foreseeable future.

The team also has long term contracts with players like Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson who are carrying cap hits at $6.5 million and $5.5 million respectively.

Caufield is not the only player from the 2019 NHL Draft class on the Canadiens roster. Kirby Dach is also on the team and is carrying a cap hit of $3.362 million through the 2025-26 season.

Caufield has scored at a pace that can definitely make him a 35 or 40 goal scorer a season. While he only had 26 goals this past season, he only played in 46 games so there is no reason to expect him not to hit the 35 goal mark down the line.

The next big date for the Canadiens will be the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville later this month. At that time the Canadiens will get to draft fifth overall as well as either 31 or 32nd depending on if the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.