With each passing season, Montreal Canadiens star Cole Caufield just keeps getting better. Virtually every year he’s been healthy has seen him post new career highs.
All of it culminated in a historic 50-goal season. He entered a conversation that features The Rocket, Guy LaFleur and Boom Boom Geoffrion. Right away, he’s off to another strong start.
In eight games, he’s scored five goals. That’s another pace for more than 50 goals. What's even better is that it comes at an unreal discount.
A Steal of a Habs Deal
Given that he picked 15th overall in the draft, perhaps it's fitting that he continues to bring a lot of value compared to what he's paid and where he was selected.
What do you think the going rate for a 50-goal scorer is these days? Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews - all players who have scored at least 50 goals once - all make at least $12 million. That number is only going up.
Caufield, in theory, would be in for a massive payday. Here’s the thing: He’s already locked down into the next decade. The cap hit comes in at $7.85 million per season.
A decade ago, that would have been top dollar for a player of his caliber. Now, it’s an absolute steal.
He's being paid nearly half of what other top goal-scorers in the league are paid. In a couple of seasons, it wouldn't be that surprising if this was closer to one-third of what some stars are making.
What a Low Cap Hit Means for Canadiens Future
This season, the salary cap is set at $104 million. By 2028-29, it's projected to be up to $127.5 million. Imagine what the Canadiens will be able to add to this team during that time, and none of that pondering involves what they have to pay Caufield.
Picture this: an increased salary and a big-name free agent who could be partnered with Caufield on a line.
Currently, he's on the top line with other locked-down stars, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky. With the incoming flexibility, assisted by Caufield's lower cap hit, Slafkovsky could be moved down to the second line, helping provide a more well-rounded offense.
They could bring in a playmaker who can feed the puck to Caufield, alongside Suzuki, and do some damage.
For them, it should be an exciting thought. The best for Caufield is that he can eventually get his rightful payday. He's 25 years old. He'll be 30 at the time of his pending free agency. By then, who knows where the cap will be.
The Canadiens can have their cake and eat it, too. They can build for their future while also having an affordable 50-goal scorer still eligible for a later payday.
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