Cole Caufield admits he hasn’t fully blocked out his contract negotiations.

“You try not to (think about it), but you really can’t really get away from it,” the Montreal Canadiens star told the media, including TSN, on Friday. “It’s everywhere, you hear it a lot. But for me, (I’m) just trying to stay away from it. It’s going to happen when it happens.”

On Tuesday, it was reported the Canadiens and Caufield’s agent, Pat Brisson, opened preliminary contract talks roughly a month ago. The 22-year-old winger confirmed as much Friday and acknowledged he’s given it some thought.

“Obviously, I love being here. I love this team and this group of guys, so (I’ll) just take it one step at a time, but for sure it’s in the back of my mind,” he said.