Caufield: 'I'm excited to be here long term'

MONTREAL - Cole Caufield addressed the media on Monday following the news of his eight-year contract extension.

SHOP: Cole Caufield replica jersey

Here are a few highlights from his press conference:

Please note that the questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.

Cole Caufield on the significance of signing a long-term deal in Montreal:

It's obviously a pretty big part of it. I think the way this organization is going, the plan that's intact, all that stuff that just makes a lot of sense. I love being [in Montreal]. It's a second home, first home - whatever you want to call it - for me. So, I'm excited to be here long term. I think it puts my family in a good place as well, so all those things kind of went into this final number and years, and I'm very excited and very lucky to be a part of the Montreal Canadiens for a long time.

Caufield on what makes him proud to be a Montreal Canadien:

Just going to the rink every day, you see so many of these big-name guys and [you get] to see what they've done and learn about their stories and things like that. But at the end of the day, they're still those same people and they still care about this team so much. So for me, I'm just another part of the puzzle. All these guys have given so much to the organization and the team, and they still give back to this day. If I can just continue that legacy and continue that growth for the game in Montreal - I mean, it's obviously got everything it needs. But my love and passion for the game and just always wanting to be a part of this team - it's a very special group to be a part of and you get to learn something new every day from these guys. I put my pride way in front of any of the individual stuff. It's just a blast to be a part of this team, and the organization has so many great qualities and people behind it that not many people hear too much about, but it's really special to be a part of.

Caufield on what gives him the most hope in the future of the team:

Our desire to want to be the best. The guys in the room that we have are really special. I think me, myself, growing every year, becoming more of a leader in the room and doing things the right way and kind of showing everybody how it's done. Looking up to a guy like Nick [Suzuki] who handles himself the right way, I think everybody kind of looks at him and everybody just wants to be like that. So, I think the culture that we have and the positivity learning about the game that we have, it's kind of contagious around the room. Everybody that's part of the organization these days is headed in the right direction. I think we're all behind that. We all know what's best for the team and I think that's the best part.

Caufield on his rehabilitation status from a season-ending shoulder surgery:

I got cleared about 10 days ago for full activity, so that's been nice. It's been a long journey for me. It's been tough at times but at the end of the day, we're cleared now, so it's full go. I've been skating two or three times a week for the past five months now, and I just kind of got into the shooting things. I'm really looking forward to having this full summer to make sure I'm back to 100% and the way the things are going right now, I'm not too worried at all.

Caufield on he and Nick Suzuki as leaders of the team moving forward:

Nick and I are just going to continue to grow on what we've done already. I think there's a lot more out there, but what we've built so far in these three years is something special and we're only going to get better as the years go on. So that, for us, is one part. We want to be leaders of the team and kind of grow our team in the right direction and push everybody every day. I think that our energy and our passion feed off the rest of the team and, like I said earlier, it's contagious in the room right now. Everybody's positive, everybody trusts what we're doing, and I think only good things can happen from that. We'll take it one step at a time, one year at a time, and go from there. We'll set short-term expectations throughout the year, just try to get better every day, do our best and see what happens. But at the end of the day, it's all about winning in this league and especially in this organization, so we want to get back there as fast as possible.

Caufield on Martin St-Louis' influence on the commitment of signing long-term:

I think we've got something special in the room just by having him there. He's a guy you can lean on and a guy you can go to. It's very special the way he coaches and it's a very different style than most teams have. I love coming to the rink every day. He makes it fun; he makes everybody around him kind of energetic. He knows when to press the buttons and knows when to get the guys going. I think, as a teacher in the room, it's just very impactful and guys listen. He has a lot of power in the room. So, I think what he has, and how he goes about his day-to-day routine, are very special. Obviously, Marty's going to teach me a lot; he already has to this day. So a big part of it was him, but I couldn't be more thankful to be a part of this organization.