Yes, it was important for the Canadiens not to exceed Nick's number," Brisson replied. "Suzuki is the captain. But there are aspects to clarify. Cole was five years from becoming an unrestricted free agent. In Suzuki's case, he was four years from becoming an unrestricted free agent when he got his extension. So, the Canadiens had one less year of autonomy to buy with Cole compared to Nick. That represents a lot of dollars.
"We looked at several comparisons for Cole," Brisson continued. "There were the contracts of Tim Stützle,
Josh Norris,
Dylan Cozens, and
Matthew Boldy. So, Cole received a deal that compares with that of other young NHL stars. We found a fair contract Pat Brisson