Cole Caufield’s next contract - what’s the maximum AAV you would be comfortable with?

[Koivu11]

Let’s assume it’s an 8 year deal.

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[Le Tricolore]

Anything up to $8.5, I wouldn't have much of an issue with. If it's above that, it could still work out, but for now Caufield is a one-strick pony. Sure, that one trick is scoring a lot of goals, but when you're getting paid that much, I'd expect you to be able to rack up assists and / or play a solid defensive game too.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

8x8 would be fair Caufield can score but he doesnt bring much more then that but im hoping for the Suzuki contract

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Suzuki contract.

 

[waitin425]

I voted for 9. The maximum I can handle.

I hope for 7.875

I suspect 8.25

 

[Habs 4 Life]

Suzuki contract

 

[Mrb1p]

12 if he wants it. Pay your man.

 

[Forsead]

Lowball the guy with a bridge contract, it always end well.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Honestly don't care.

He's gonna score 40 in his second full season.

There's not a price they can pay for him that wouldn't eventually make sense.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

Hopefully we give him the same contract as Suzuki. It is just shy of $8M, but the contract is front-loaded and almost half the contract is paid in the first 3 years. Would be slightly more than contracts recently signed by Thompson and Bouldy.

But I don't have a maximum, we've lacked legit goal scorers for decades so just lock him the **** up.

 

[Milhouse40]

8x8 seems like the highest deal I could go with but then again, I'm not the one negotiating everything.
Either way, he'll get around that amount.

 

[ReHabs]

Depends how the season goes but I'd be comfortable up to 9m. If you have cap issues you find a way to dump Gallagher, Armia, and the like.

 

[habamillions]

Suzuki contract

 

[417]

Couldn't care less.

Haven't seen a Habs player score 40+ since I was 12.

It's priceless for me

 

[Walrus26]

Couldn't care less.

Haven't seen a Habs player score 40+ since I was 12.

It's priceless for me

Exactly.

Surely the only answer is "whatever it takes to lock him up for 8 years"?

 

[417]

Honestly don't care.

He's gonna score 40 in his second full season.

There's not a price they can pay for him that wouldn't eventually make sense.

He's going to make somewhere in the range of 7.5-8.5M anyway.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I voted 9 cuz i expect him to fleece us

 

[417]

When Mario Tremblay retired in 1986, he retired as the 10th highest goal scorer in Montreal Canadiens history.

As of today, January 17, 2023.

He's STILL 10th in team history.

Caufield is legitimately the only player who is capable of changing that sad history.

 

[Koivu11]

I would like him to get the same as Suzuki…or 8M due to inflation.

 

[MonkeyBusiness]

He's going to get more than Suzuki, that's for sure. I'd say around 8.5 to 9 mil per year.

 

[Deebs]

8x8 would be fair Caufield can score but he doesnt bring much more then that but im hoping for the Suzuki contract

8x8 is what I was thinking. He shouldn't get that imo but that's what the market dictates. He'll be a consistent 35-45 goal guy

 

[Habs Halifax]

(8x) $7.5M - $8.5M range.

* Boldy is a career 0.76 pts/game player over 89 NHL games so far. Just signed for 7x $7M. 5 RFA years vs 2 UFA years.

* Caufield is a career 0.69 pts/game player over 121 games so far. Caufield is more like a 0.85 pts/game player over the last 82 games. Also has 5 RFA years left.

So yeah, it's going to be north of Boldy but how much? $7.5M - $8.5M range is where I say it falls and the simple contract would be to just give him the Suzuki contract. It's fair to the team and Caufield IMO

8x8 is what I was thinking. He shouldn't get that imo but that's what the market dictates. He'll be a consistent 35-45 goal guy

I agree he should be a 30+ goal threat and it's likely his average over the long haul is in that 35-45 range. The evaluation thingy I would ponder is if he is a 70 pts player or a 80-100 type. That matters too.

8x8 seems fair to me

 

[Habs Halifax]

He's going to get more than Suzuki, that's for sure. I'd say around 8.5 to 9 mil per year.

Why is it for sure? You do know that a 8 year term is 5 RFA years right? I'd agree with you if it was the opposite... 3 RFA years and 5 UFA years. However it is not so I think your range is high.

If Caufield asked for that much, I'd have concerns on greed. His shot is elite level and he does generate offense but he is also getting fed the puck by Suzuki a lot.

 

[Sterling Archer]

I'd give him the same as Suzuki. Suzuki is still the points leader on the team and the captain. I'd set the bar of future signings at Suzuki's like Boston did with Bergeron unless they're getting a new and significantly better player than Suzuki that sets a new bar. Until then, it's $7.875 AAV cap on contracts.

 

[MonkeyBusiness]

Why is it for sure? You do know that a 8 year term is 5 RFA years right? I'd agree with you if it was the opposite... 3 RFA years and 5 UFA years. However it is not so I think your range is high.

If Caufield asked for that much, I'd have concerns on greed. His shot is elite level and he does generate offense but he is also getting fed the puck by Suzuki a lot.

Because the cap is inevitably going up, and he's going to score more than 40 goals. The RFA and UFA years are going to factor in, sure, but I don't think it's as big a decider as you make it out to be. It's only my opinion; we'll see if I'm right in the end. I'm not going to argue over hypothetical scenarios. I also wouldn't consider him greedy if he ends up signing for 8.5-9 mil per year.

I could see him signing a shorter term contract for the same AAV as Suzuki. But I believe if you do sign him to an eight-year contract, you're going to have to pay a bit more due to the projected cap inflation.