Dude had a lower PPG than Nylander did over their ELCs, and is MUCH worse defensively.
Y'all are getting turnt over a overvalue contract lmao

And this is how you build a balanced team. The captain sets the bar low to be competitive and everybody gets under it.

So glad to see MTL following Boston's model and not Toronto's...

Now let sign PLD (summer 2024) @ 7x7.8 too! Let's gooooo!

Terrible Deal. One stat doesn't make a bad contract a good one.

will be good if he keeps on pace for over 40 goals a season

As much as I thought 8 was what Caufield would get... that doesn't mean he is worth that... MTL is paying for MSL to develop Caufield into a Nylander/Stuzle etc. If that happens, good contract... But if Caufield gets hit the wrong way/MSL can't develop him into a good player... it's going to get ugly quick

Around 65 points yes but when you can score 40+ goals, I don't think the assist numbers matter that much, you look at most snipers, they're paid to score goals, getting high assist numbers/good defence from them is a bonus

Also, Caufield is a solid playmaker. He’s just primarily deployed as a finisher.

Only Boeser has a lower AAV... And we all know how his career's going...

Compared to Laine in particular, Caufield's deal looks very good. Longer, cheaper, better.

Amazing deal.

Yes, there's more room for improvement in his game but I firmly believe you can afford to be a one dimensional player if that dimension is the most important in hockey and you're one of the best at it.

He’s gonna fall off. Mark my words

With the success of Jack Hughes, my guess is that the years of signing your young studs to prove it deals are over

It was already over by the time Hughes signed his. Every GM wants their own Draisaitl contract.

Great deal for the habs! Will be a steal sooner than later

It's a similar deal to what Keller got a few years ago. A little higher $ and cap hit percentage, but Keller signed under a flat cap whereas Caufield is signing in a period of (likely) cap growth. Both had decent but incomplete seasons before signing, and had maximum production of about a 65 point pace (Caufield scored 64/82 last year, Keller with 65 in a full season his rookie year). Keller's deal is definitely under value now. I can see Caufield being there in a few years, maybe sooner if he really breaks out next season.

This man had 36 points in 46 games. Even if he stays healthy, that's barely a 65 point pace. I have serious concerns with this

that's missing on some context, 26 of those points were goals, he was on a 46 goal pace

I'm a little worried about injuries last season, HOWEVER, he's young enough that I think he should bounce back from the surgery.

His dad died. It's not surprising he's not been at the top of his game.

"Suzuki was" what does that even mean lmao

This is about the neighborhood I expected Lucas Raymond to be in if Stevie decides to make him a similar offer. Will be interesting to see if this trend of teams wanting to lock up young stars to long AAVs early continues.

I don't care, to be honest. That much money for a dude that wasn't going to hit a point per game.... I get goals are important, but to score goals you need good teammates. It means you're paying this much for a dude that cannot carry his own line.

This reminds me of the Norris contract. It seems risky, because it is a player who has a small sample size and has been injured multiple times. With that said, you sign this contract 10/10 times. Risk goes both ways. Contracts might explode in a few years the player's share of COVID escrow is paid back.

I think the Canadiens would have been better with a slightly higher AAV and a back loaded contract structure. A big advantage to signing these young stars to long term deals coming off of their ELC is that teams usually have a few years before the player turns 27. That means, if things don't work out the player can be bought out for half the usual penalty. An example of how much this buyout saves teams, Colin White's 4.75M contract only cost Ottawa an average dead cap of of 771k to buyout. The problem with front loading these contracts is that teams have to pay back the surplus of cap they saved by front loading the contract. While Caufield's salary isn't "buyout proof", because the contract was front loaded it might heavily dissuade a U26 buyout.

Overall, Montreal did a good job to enforce Suzuki's cap hit as their ceiling. Caufield probably should have cost a bit more than this on a full term deal. He didn't get a NMC. He didn't get wacky signing bonuses. The only downside was that the contract is front loaded, which partially disrupts the Canadiens ability to benefit from a U26 buyout if things don't go well.

He’s also had a lot of injuries. It feels like he was never the same player after his back injury his rookie season (even though he did have a great season his sophomore year as well as the bubble year)

Probably an overpay the first couple years, but the Habs aren’t contending so that won’t matter. If he can stay healthy and keep progressing it’s a good contract

Pure goal scorers are a rare commodity. You can't win if you don't score. This kid does one thing and he does it really well. A+ signing for MTL.