Caufield: seeing him earn less money than Suzuki “was important” for Kent Hughes

When we talked about Cole Caufield’s new contract, there was one question that came up more often than any other.

“Will he earn more than Nick Suzuki?”

Today we have the answer to that famous question. In announcing the signing of the diminutive forward on the terms of an eight-year contract at $7.85 million per season, Kent Hughes sent a clear message to the rest of the group.

Nick Suzuki gets the most money because, in reality, he’s the leader of this team. Caufield spoke about this in his press briefing earlier today…

And, to put an end to the discussion, his agent Pat Brisson said openly in a telephone interview with Le Journal de Montréal that “it was important for the Canadiens not to exceed Nick’s (Suzuki’s) figure”.

I’ll say it again: Kent Hughes has just sent a message to the team’s players.

Slowly but surely, Kent Hughes is solidifying his core. Caufield, Suzuki and Kirby Dach, possibly the team’s three best forwards, are under contract for at least the next three regular seasons…

And in fact, the three musketeers have contracts that aren’t necessarily dangerous for the team’s payroll. Even better?

The three Musketeers have contracts that could become bargains in the next two or three years.

Caufield said it this morning, but he really wanted to stay in Montreal. That probably helped in discussions with Kent Hughes, and the fact that he understands how important culture is to the organization played into his salary.

The diminutive striker could certainly have gone his own way and asked for more money than the captain. After all, he was on a 47-goal pace last year before his injury, and you know as well as I do that NHL scorers generally make a lot of money.

But no. Caufield knows that his buddy Suzuki is the leader of this team and he didn’t hesitate to “bend to the demands” of his GM. It’s worth pointing out that, in future player contract negotiations in Montreal, Hughes will be able to point to the 22 as an example.

It’s sure to help in the near future. I’m sure it will.

All in all, today was a big step forward for the organization, which is sure to have the fan favourite in town for a long time to come.

“Well, that’s good news,” as JJ Watt wrote under the Canadiens’ official publication.

Burst

– Who will win the second game of the series?

– He’s been impressing a lot lately. You’ve got to give it to him.

– It’s one to watch.

– Normal.

– Nice addition.