As has been reported by the Montreal Canadiens, GM Marc Bergevin has made good on his hint that he would sign one of the team’s top prospects and has signed Cole Caufield to an NHL entry-level deal. The move comes after top-seed University of Wisconsin was eliminated from the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament by Bemidji State University on Friday. Caufield’s collegiate career came to an end, but his NHL career is just beginning
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Less than 24 hours after being eliminated from the Big-10 and leaving his collegiate career behind, Caufield is officially under contract with the Canadiens. He has signed a three-year entry-level contract, which begins this season and has no performance bonuses included.
It will help the player burn a year off of his entry-level deal and Caufield will need to quarantine when he arrives. As TSN’s Pierre LeBrun notes, “It will be interesting to see if he’s Laval-bound or straight to Montreal once he can play.” Speculation is that he will start in the AHL with Laval after his quarantine.
Earlier in the day, when asked about the status of Caufield, Bergevin said, “Let me think and I’ll get back to you in a couple of days.” Clearly, he knew the news and just didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
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