Kent Hughes gave no big secret in his mid-season report, citing Cole Caufield’s next contract as a priority for the organization.
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“One thing is for sure, we want Cole to stay with us long-term and I think he wants to be with us long-term. Cole remains 100 percent priority. »
Hughes’ words echoed everywhere. The statement was nothing special. It was part of simple logic.
On the eve of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews’ visit, Caufield deviated from his usual routine by agreeing to talk about his next contract.
“You don’t want to think about it, but you can’t do it,” said Number 22. It’s everywhere, you hear about it. I want to get away from this. It will happen when it happens. But obviously I like playing here, I like this team and this group of players. I take it one step at a time. But yeah, I’m thinking about it. »
Caufield didn’t just say he thought about it. He also reaffirmed his love for CH and Montreal.
“I’m happy here. I love the team, the city, the fans. It’s just positive. I think it’s a perfect marriage. But like I said, it will happen when it happens. »
seven million or more
Caufield, author of 26 goals in 46 games this season, is heading for a first season of 40 goals or more in the NHL. At this rate, the dangerous left winger will end the year with 46 goals and would be the first player since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-1994 to reach the 40 mark.
A 40-goal scorer typically earns well in the NHL. Even very well.
For the 2021-2022 season, there were 17 goalscorers with 40 or more goals. Connor McDavid (44 goals) and Auston Matthews (60 goals) were the two richest with payrolls capping at $12.5 million and $11.64 million, respectively. Caufield won’t be knocking on Hughes’ door for such a high salary.
The smallest of the 17 employees was named Jason Robertson. The Stars winger still had his rookie contract at $795,000. We’ll come back to Robertson later.
But if we average the 17 attackers, we get a salary of 7.40 million. The figure of seven million is therefore a logical lower limit for Caufield’s next contract, but depends mainly on the length of the agreement.
When asked about his strategy, whether he would focus more on money or the length of the contract, the American skilfully distracted from the topic.
“To be honest, I don’t see it that way,” he replied. I’m looking for what suits me best. My agent and other people behind the scenes are handling this aspect. I’m not worried »
Pat Brisson, Caufield’s agent, has already entered into negotiations with Hughes and Jeff Gorton.
“Talks are already underway, confirmed the 2019 first-round election. I don’t take care of the talks and negotiations, it stays in the hands of my agent. It’s pretty crazy, I’m lucky enough to discover this reality. But like I said, I’m trying to get away from it, it’s not my role. »
Suzuki or Robertson
In the negotiation game, the CH and the Caufield clan look at several players for comparison. On the management side of the team, we’d probably like to offer a pact similar to that of captain Nick Suzuki (8 years and 63 million).
Suzuki will earn an average of 7.875 million by the end of the 2029-30 season. But the Ontarian signed that deal in October 2021 when Marc Bergevin was still DG.
In Dallas, the Stars opted for a different strategy with Robertson. The 23-year-old winger agreed on a four-year, £31m (£7.75m) contract on October 6.
At the end of this contract, Robertson will be a restricted free agent. But he will also have the power to return to the bench another time and demand a salary of 10 million or more if he remains such an impressive attacker. It should be noted that the upper salary limit will increase significantly in the future.
CH will pray for a Suzuki-style deal, while Caufield and Brisson will have an interest in pushing for a slightly shorter deal. The duration of the agreement, much more than the amount, will remain the main strategy in the next negotiations.
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