Cole Caufield quickly established himself as a favorite with the Montreal crowd upon his NHL debut. He is now entering the last year of his rookie contract and Montreal must re-sign him. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes puts that goal at the top of the list, as a priority.
This is what he confided to Jonathan Bernier of the Journal de Montreal, Wednesday. Even if it is a priority file for Hughes, he is not in a hurry in the process.
Also, during our discussion, we talked regarding Cole Caufield, Jake Allen and the upcoming draft; the three files on Kent Hughes’ table.https://t.co/VU8D8cG91m
— Jonathan Bernier (@JBernierJDM) September 21, 2022
“I don’t have a preference to sign him straight away or at the end of the season. I don’t want it to be a distraction for him.” – Kent Hughes via Jonathan Bernier of the Journal de Montreal
If he has as good a season as he did last campaign, Caufield might make a lot of money. If his performance is lower, we can also expect a bridge contract until he proves his level of play in the NHL.
Fortunately for Kent Hughes, several Canadiens players might leave the organization during or at the end of the next season (Dadonov, Drouin, Byron and Monahan all at the end of their contract), freeing up a lot of money and offering a good leeway to offer a reasonable contract to Caufield.
Bridge contracts can be very good ideas to avoid blunders. Let’s take the example of Alex Galchenyuk, who had had three very good seasons, without exceeding expectations until the summer of 2015. He signed a bridge contract for 5.6 million dollars over 2 years. This allowed the Canadian to properly assess him and confirm that he was not worth an eight-year contract, when it came time to sign him two years later. That may not be what will happen with Cole Caufield, but you can never be careful enough.
On the other hand, if we forget the statistics and the performances on the ice, Caufield is a favorite of the crowd in Montreal. He has spirit and does not hide it. Maxim Lapierre even explained, during his appearance on the show JiC of TVA Sports, that he saw a bit of Subban in Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
“Caufield and Suzuki, who we see smiling big on the ice and on Instagram, it’s a bit thanks to Subban.” –Maxim Lapierre on TVA Sports
????⚪???? https://t.co/sR8Rolq3KE
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) September 21, 2022
It’s perfect for Montreal, but a little less for the team’s wallet. It might be very expensive if we calculate the attitude and performance of Cole Caufield. A player of this style is in demand throughout the NHL and he will deserve a big contract.
A lot of
– Slafkovsky is going to end up breaking a bike at this rate.
#Habs Juraj Slafkovský during today’s fitness testing in Brossard ???????? pic.twitter.com/ufXhUAJyzf
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) September 21, 2022
– It was not mad love between Martin St-Louis and John Tortorella, but the coach of the CH liked playing under his orders.
TO SEE | Third part of the generous interview of @mstlouis_26 with @JiCLajoie ???? https://t.co/fXBL2RMkbG
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) September 21, 2022
– Auston Matthews prefers to focus on hockey and not on his next contract.
“I want to be clear regarding my contract, I’m going to talk regarding it today and that’s it.”https://t.co/pXSfx8zcvE
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) September 21, 2022
– The end of a great career for Jacques Doucet.
A great career ???????????? https://t.co/xSkHZxTCNG
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) September 21, 2022
– The Chychrun saga continues in Arizona.
Arizona coyotes | Chychrun wants to be traded to Stanley Cup contender https://t.co/7EyGSDjhbN
– The Sports Press (@LaPresse_Sports) September 21, 2022
