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Minnesota Wild: Making the case to finally sign Kirill Kaprizov

By Brandon Quast

May 7, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) skates with the puck during the second period against the Anaheim Ducks at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) skates with the puck during the second period against the Anaheim Ducks at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports /
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This is going to sound like a broken record again and again and again but it is indeed crunch time for the Minnesota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov to get this nasty ugly contract negotiation sealed and done with.

It’s already been said that Kaprizov has a tentative deal with his old KHL team on a one-year, 8 figure agreement. Now, there’s a few problems with that. One being that the KHL salary cap in USD is about $14 million. Now it doesn’t take rocket science to do the math, an 8 figure deal would be a minimum of $10 million.

https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1424879499527794688

Clearly, someone is lying. unless of course, CSKA Moscow only wants to sign 3 players to contracts for this coming season (not recommended). This of course is Kaprizov’s agent coming in and trying to use leverage against the Wild in order to secure a deal for his client.

Where the issues lie with this is that Bill Guerin and the Wild brass certainly don’t want to rush a deal with their star winger. Both sides want to make sure they get the best deal they can. Bill Guerin and the Wild’s camp were pushing for a longer term 7 or 8 year deal and a reported $9 million AAV. However, Kaprizov’s camp is looking for a more shorter term deal which of course comes with it’s own pros and cons.

Jan 24, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) talks with forward Kirill Kaprizov (97) during the third period against the San Jose Sharkse at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) talks with forward Kirill Kaprizov (97) during the third period against the San Jose Sharkse at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Pros for Kaprizov getting a 3-4 year deal are that he can maximize his next contract when the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter contracts are off the books and may look for longer term then.

There’s a lot more cons to a short term deal in the direction of the Wild. If a 3 or 4 year deal is signed, Kaprizov would be UFA eligible and could leave the Wild all together and with his agent, Paul Theofanos leading the way, that could very well be a real possibility.

In conclusion, I feel it could be only right for Kaprizov to get more involved with contract talks instead of letting his agent handle everything, at a certain point, it could make Kaprizov look bad if this isn’t resolved by an apparent September 1st deadline.

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