The Montreal Canadiens future hopes are going to be pinned heavily on the performance of Nick Suzuzki and Cole Caufield. Of course, it takes more than a couple of forwards to build a winning team, but those two are going to play a big part in any success the Habs will find in the near future.
The Canadiens have already ensured Suzuki will be here for the long term. He is currently playing the first season of an eight year contract with a cap hit of $7.875 million. He is surely not disappointing anyone with 12 goals and 24 points in 21 games so far this season.
His running mate, Caufield, is next up on the docket to sign a big contract. The small, but highly skilled winger is in the final year of his entry-level contract and is going to be looking for a big pay raise next season.
Suzuki himself may prove to be the closest comparable when negotiations to down to the nitty gritty, but another one may have emerged. There is no question Caufield’s biggest strength is the ability to put the puck in the net and he will have to be paid like the goal scoring threat that he is.
Since Martin St. Louis was hired as the team’s head coach on February 9th, Caufield has scored 34 goals and 56 points in 58 games. That is a 48 goal and 79 point pace over a full season. Of course, he hasn’t done it over a full season yet, as 58 games is about two-thirds of an NHL schedule.
A player with a slightly larger sample size of success just signed a monster contract. Roope Hintz just inked a new deal with the Dallas Stars for eight years and it comes with an $8.45 million cap hit.
Hintz, the Stars first line centre, scored 37 goals and 72 points in 80 games last season. The previous year he had 15 goals and 43 points in 41 games. That gives him a longer track record of slightly less goal scoring and a bit more points per game than Caufield has put up since February.
Hintz also plays centre and is a much better and more polished defensive player than the Canadiens sniper.
When you boil it all down, Hintz probably deserves a bit more on a long term deal than Caufield. If Caufield can continue this pace and score 45 goals by season’s end, it may put him a bit higher than Hintz on an NHL payroll.
Suzuki’s contract is still a fine comparable for Caufield in negotiations. This Hintz contract is just further evidence that the Canadiens are going to have to spend about $8 million on a long term contract for their elite goal scorer starting next season.
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