How the Cole Caufield extension could impact Seth Jarvis' next contract

Short kings helping short kings. 

That's my general consensus after the news that the Montreal Canadiens extended 2019 first-rounder Cole Caufield to an eight year, $7.85 million AAV contract.

Caufield has been an electric goal scorer in his one and a half seasons in the NHL and because of that, the Habs moved quickly to lock him up.

The former Wisconsin Badger was 15th in his draft but ranks second in his class in goals (53) despite having played significantly less time than some of the others due to injury, so it's evident as to why he got as much as he did.

But how does this deal affect the Carolina Hurricanes' resident undersized winger, Seth Jarvis?

Well, for one, it sets a market precedent.

Jarvis (5'10") is not the goal scorer that Caufield (5'7") is, but he is the more complete player between the two small wings.

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Despite also being a middle of the first round guy - he was the 13th overall pick in 2020 - Jarvis is in the top five of his draft class in terms of scoring and it's debatable if he is perhaps even higher in terms of overall impact.

His points dipped this season - scoring just 14 goals and 39 points in 82 games - as he reformatted his game, but he developed his play away from the puck tremendously, becoming a more complete 200-foot player and forechecker.

“I like that the defensive part has started to become second nature and I don’t have to think about it as much," Jarvis said in his end-of-season exit interview. "I think I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with how we’re playing the systems here, not that it changed year to year, but just being able to go out there and not have to think so much and focus on putting the puck in the net which is what I want to do and something I believe I can do at a high level.”

He plays in all situations as well, having been trusted with PK time at the end of the regular season and into the postseason.

"I was really proud of how I finished it and how I grew and the roles I got to play," Jarvis said. "Playing on the penalty kill, for me, was probably one of the biggest wins this year personally. Just being able to be trusted like that in a defensive position for once and be able to work on that part of my game. 

Jarvis is a force all over the ice, and if you couple that with his steady playoff production - 18 points in 29 postseason games - the winger has a solid resume for negotiations.

Goal scoring will always be of premium in the NHL, with those that can put the puck in the net at a higher clip collecting the larger contracts, i.e. Caufield's contract, but Jarvis already developing as a great two-way player at his age and size is perhaps even more of a commodity.

But his aim is to be that high-end goal scorer too.

“In my belief, I want to be a top goal scorer in the league," Jarvis said. "Obviously I haven’t even hit 20 goals yet so that’s a lofty goal, but there’s no reason for me to not put that out there and try to reach for it because if you’re not going to reach for it, why would you even try? It’s something that is tough to come by but I feel that playing at all the levels I have, goal scoring has always been my thing so I hope at this level it’s no different."

So even as the market around him is established more and more, don't expect Jarvis to sign an extension this offseason. 

He still has a full year to pump his value up and no veteran agent would allow him to sign an extension now, especially when he is poised to potentially bounce back for a more productive season.

"They’ve gotta sign [Sebastian Aho] and that’s a lot more important than me. I’m just gonna go with whatever they kind of throw at me. I’m going to leave that one up to my agent."

The one certain is that the Caufield deal has set a precedent for undersized, but effective top line wingers in the current market and that will almost certainly be the comparison that Jarvis' camp will draw into. 

The real question though, will be how Jarvis' performance next season will impact his value, because if he starts to put it all together, Caufield's contract might just be the minimum ask.