Pat Hickey: Caufield deal is a win-win, now what about Harvey-Pinard?

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Most Canadiens followers have been fixated on the crew’s negotiations with sniper Cole Caufield, and so they needed to be joyful Monday with the information that the crew has locked him up for a most eight-year time period with a median cap hit of $7.85 million.

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There had been hypothesis that he was taking a look at a max deal price $9 million a season, however that was a non-starter as a result of Nick Suzuki, the crew’s captain and main scorer, has a max take care of an annual hit of $7.875 million and the Canadiens weren’t inclined to pay Caufield extra.

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The max deal is useful for each events. It provides the Canadiens a measure of financial certainty whereas offering Caufield with long-term safety. Whereas no participant desires to consider accidents, they’re a actuality of the sport. A shoulder damage ended Caufield’s season in January and, whereas the damage wasn’t career-threatening, there are all the time dangers in a warp-speed contract sport. That’s notably true if you find yourself a smaller participant with a goal in your again.

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The brand new deal is honest. Whereas some individuals really feel $9 million is affordable for a participant who was on tempo to attain 46 objectives, Caufield has performed solely 143 NHL video games counting playoffs and there may be nonetheless room for growth in his recreation, notably on defence.

The brand new deal removes the specter of a crew tendering a proposal sheet if Caufield hadn’t signed by July 1. That was the way in which the Canadiens misplaced former No. 3 total draft alternative Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the Carolina Hurricanes, however you must imagine the Canadiens would have matched any provide to retain Caufield’s companies as a result of he’s a pure goal-scorer and they’re a uncommon breed.

Whereas Caufield has garnered a lot of the consideration, basic supervisor Kent Hughes is now free to take care of one other diminutive scorer who’s deserving of a considerable increase.

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Rafaël Harvey-Pinard stepped up after Caufield was injured and put up some numbers, which agent Phil Lecavalier can work with if these negotiations go to arbitration.

Lecavalier turned Harvey-Pinard’s agent earlier this yr and his presence provides an additional dimension to the contract talks. Hughes served as Lecavalier’s mentor when he joined the company now often known as Quartexx. Lecavalier’s youthful brother, longtime Tampa Bay Lightning star Vincent Lecavalier, works for the Canadiens as a particular assistant for hockey operations.

Harvey-Pinard scored 14 objectives and added six assists in 34 video games and his common of 0.59 factors a recreation made him the Canadiens’ seventh-most productive participant. He was on tempo for a 33-goal season.

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His taking pictures share of 24.1 per cent was the perfect on the crew — Caufield was at 16.5 per cent. He was ninth in crew scoring and fifth in goal-scoring regardless of his restricted participation.

Extra importantly, he confirmed that he was greater than a one-trick pony. He performed at each ends of the ice, killed penalties and, on a crew suffering from minus gamers, he tied with Mike Matheson for the perfect plus/minus numbers on the crew at plus-7.

The one potential draw back going ahead is that Harvey-Pinard could not have the identical alternative to showcase his expertise if Martin St. Louis can’t discover him gifted linemates. It’s one factor to play on the highest line with Suzuki and Josh Anderson and one other to be on a bottom-six line with Jake Evans and the newly re-signed Michael Pezzetta.

Harvey-Pinard had a two-way take care of an $825,000 cap hit final season, which suggests he earned lower than $400,000 for his time in NHL. This time round, the minimal needs to be a one-way deal and Lecavalier needs to be asking his former boss for a wage near $2 million.

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