Canadiens sign Caufield to eight-year deal

Cole Caufield picked up the phone and called his mother after agreeing to a lucrative extension with the Montreal Canadiens.

She couldn’t answer because she was busy at work, teaching. But once she called him back, the two shared a moment over the amount of money that’s not just life-changing for Caufield, but for his family, too.

“She was excited, started crying on the phone. It’s really so special for me and my family,” he said during a video call with reporters. “They couldn’t be more proud, and I couldn’t be more thankful for what they’ve done.

“I’m just … I’m at a loss for words sometimes just thinking about it.”

The Canadiens signed Caufield to an eight-year, $62.8-million contract extension on Monday, completing a key piece of offseason business.

Caufield, who said he couldn’t even have dreamed of a number such as that as a kid, wanted to sign long term instead of opting for a bridge deal both to have his family “set for a while” and because of how much he loves playing in Montreal.

“The way this organization is going, the plan that’s intact, all that stuff, it makes a lot of sense,” he said. “I love being there, [it’s my] second home, first home, whatever you want to call it for me. I think it puts my family in a good place as well, all those things that kind of went into this final number and years.

“I’m very excited and very lucky to be a part of the Montreal Canadiens for a long time.”

The deal will pay the 22-yearold winger an average annual value of $7.85 million US through the 2030-31 season. It’s the second-richest contract for a forward in Canadiens history, trailing captain Nick Suzuki’s eight-year pact by $200,000.

Caufield said he and the team understood that Suzuki would remain the highest-paid forward on the team.

“I mean, that’s our guy, that’s our leader,” said Caufield. “I think everyone around knows that, and [I] still have a lot of money, so I’m not complaining about anything.”