Almost four years ago, on the eve of another training camp, the Minnesota Wild took a chance and dropped $45 million on a Russian winger with exactly 55 games of NHL experience. It capped a drama that engulfed the summer. That winger was Kirill Kaprizov. Now as a long summer begins to cool and training camp appears, it seems Kaprizov’s latest contract drama is coming to a close.
As has been reported by several sources, Kaprizov’s next contract is likely to be a record-setter. When the dust is settled the 28-year-old should be collecting somewhere between $15 and $16 million a season for several years. The exact length of the contract is likely one of the final sticking points. Minnesota is the only team that can offer him an eight-year contract, but the question remains if Kaprizov wants to stay with the team that long.
The good news for Wild fans is that it seems he is committed to being with the team for the near future. He has one season left on his current deal, and at least one person on the inside stated that, “I kind of think we’re there.”
By the way, that person is Wild owner Craig Leipold. While he leaves the actual contract negotiations to his general manager, he should have a pretty good grasp on the status of things. He spoke to reporters as part of the unveiling celebration of the new Grand Casino Arena (formally the Xcel Energy Arena).
“I just feel like we’re not that far off,” he told The Athletic. “I think we’re there. I like to believe when Kirill comes over and gets a sense again for the excitement and the love of the city, I think we’ll be moving forward in a good direction.”
Kaprizov, who summers in his native Russia, is set to return to Minnesota at some point next week. General Manager Bill Guerin has been cautiously optimistic all summer in regards to signing his star forward, but has mentioned in the past that he was willing to wait until Kaprizov was back in the United States to work on the negotiations, just to make sure nothing was lost in translation.
Back in 2021, the deal didn’t get consummated until Kaprizov crossed the ocean prior to training camp starting. The two met in Miami where Kaprizov was quarantining (this was back when the NHL had strict quarantine and vaccination rules for their European and Russian players) to hammer out the final details of what would become a five-year, $45 million contract for the reigning Calder Trophy winner.
Back then, the summer silence had been a little more nerve-wracking. Kaprizov technically wasn’t under contract as a restricted free agent. The threat of him staying in Russia and returning to the KHL was a distinct threat. After all, he was just a year removed from playing for CSKA Moskova, and it would have been pretty easy to just stay at home.
While it seems there has been a lot of radio silence in regards to the negotiations this summer, there isn’t the same sense of urgency. Yes, it would be nice for the two sides to agree to a deal prior to the season, but it’s not an absolute necessity like it was back in 2021. Getting the Marco Rossi deal done was the priority. Now that he’s under contract Guerin knows what he has in regards to cap availability to sign his best player. If Kaprizov does end up with a $16 million cap hit next season the Wild will still have roughly $23 million in space. Filip Gustavsson could eat up a large chunk of that money, and David Jiricek will be a RFA. Mats Zuccarello will also be a UFA, but at 39 it’s unlikely he’ll command a deal near his current $4.125 million cap hit if he decides to come back. The same goes for Vlad Tarasenko.
Hopefully, Leipold is right and the deal is nearing the finish line. While the Wild didn’t make as big of a splash in free agency as some expected since being unshackled from the dead money that came as a result of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, it could still be Christmas for Minnesota hockey fans if they announce an extension for Kaprizov prior to training camp.