MN Wild Owner Gives Two Cents on Kirill Kaprizov Contract Talks

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Kirill Kaprizov - Florida Panthers at Minnesota Wild
Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild start training camp in just a couple of weeks, meaning the regular season opener on on October 9 in St. Louis. While most of their active roster for opening night is already in town, or at least in the states, superstar Kirill Kaprizov is not.

He will be soon, however, and his arrival in America is expected much sooner than later. So don’t worry about Kaprizov’s status for the start of the season. The Russian superstar is believed to be 100% healthwise, and ready to go for the start of camp.

But will he be in a Minnesota Wild uniform when the trade deadline rolls around in a handful of months, or one year from now, when NHL teams are preparing for 2026 training camp? That question is less of a guarantee.

MN Wild, Kirill Kaprizov to resume contract negotiations soon

Kaprizov has one year remaining on his current contract, in which he is set to make $9 million. He became eligible for a contract extension on July 1, which is expected to be in the range of $15-16 million annually.

Before a lower-body injury derailed his season, Kirill was a frontrunner for league MVP (Hart Trophy), thanks to the 23 goals and 29 assists he amassed through 37 games.

For now, negotiations are quiet. That is expected to change in the coming days, when Kirill gets back into town. What’s taking so long for Kaprizov and the MN Wild to strike a deal?

It sounds like president of hockey operations Bill Guerin was starting to feel like his long distance discussions with Kaprizov may have been getting lost in translation between him, Kirill’s agent and the greatest player in this franchise’s history.

He wants to physically be in the same room with Kirill Kaprizov, to make sure there is no miscommunication during ongoing negotiations. Beyond that, Guerin has portrayed a ton of confidence that, by the time camp ends, the in-his-prime superstar will have newly signed contract in-hand.

Craig Leipold feeling good about Kaprizov contract talks

Well, it’s been a little while since we heard from Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold, on the subject. That changed on Thursday, however, when Leipold spoke with The Athletic’s Joe Smith, who quoted him as saying “I just don’t feel like we’re that far off.”

Related: Infamous MN Wild Superstar Makes U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

Now 28 years old, the 2015 5th round pick is coming off of arguably the best half-season of his career. From early October to late January, Kaprizov scored 25 goals and amassing 56 total points (41 games).

If the Minnesota Wild are going to take a step in the right direction this season, they will need that same guy to hit the ice starting game one, but even more importantly, they need him to remain in the lineup for the vast majority of their 82 games.

But first, they need to get his future in St. Paul secured. If Guerin and Leipold can not get Kirill Kaprizov under contract by the start of the season, it’s likely they start gauging trade interest from rival NHL teams. Insiders around the league, including Frank Seravalli, who believes this deal will get done by October 9.

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