Canadiens sign Caufield to 8-year, $62.8M extension

The Montreal Canadiens signed star forward Cole Caufield to an eight-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $7.85 million, the team announced Monday.

The 22-year-old sniper was a restricted free agent. His new cap hit makes him the second-highest-paid skater on the Canadiens, behind only captain Nick Suzuki ($7.875 million), who's under contract through 2030.

"That's our guy; that's our leader. I think everyone around knows that," Caufield said about Suzuki leading Montreal's financial structure.

"It's still a heck of a lot of money, so I'm not complaining about anything like that."

Caufield was drafted 15th overall in 2019. After a prestigious collegiate career at Wisconsin, he joined late in the shortened 2020-21 season and made his mark on the NHL stage by contributing 12 points in 20 playoff games as the Canadiens made an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final.

His new pact features modified no-trade clauses for the final three seasons. Caufield will submit a 15-team no-trade list for 2028-29, a 10-team list for 2029-30, and a five-team list for 2030-31, according to CapFriendly.

"I think at the end of the day, both sides kind of got what they wanted, and I couldn't be more proud," Caufield said.

Caufield was limited to 46 games this season due to a shoulder injury but still finished tied for Montreal's goal-scoring lead with 26 tallies. He's managed 53 goals and 31 assists in 123 NHL contests to date.

With Caufield inked, the Canadiens' most notable RFA left to sign is forward Denis Gurianov. Montreal is currently projected to be right up against next year's $83.5-million cap but will have $10.5 million in additional flexibility with goaltender Carey Price on long-term injured reserve.