Forward Cole Caufield has signed an eight-year contract extension worth a total of US$62.8 million with the Montreal Canadiens, team general manager Kent Hughes confirmed on Monday.
The 22-year-old Caufield scored 26 goals and added 10 assists in 46 games in 2022-23 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. At that rate, Caufield would have amassed 46 goals in a full season.
The Mosinee, Wis., native led the Habs in goals scored for the second straight year, tied with team captain Nick Suzuki.
According to CapFriendly.com, Caufield will receive a base salary of $4.975 million in each of the first two years of the deal, and signing bonuses of $5 million for each of those two campaigns.
Moreover, still according to CapFriendly.com, his contract includes non-exchange clauses during each of the last three years of the pact.
The average annual value of the contract will be $7.85 million.
The 5-foot-7, 174-pound forward has scored 53 goals and 31 assists in 123 NHL games since his 2020-21 debut.
Caufield was selected in the first round, 15e in total, by the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Draft.
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