Report: Kirill Kaprizov Contract Talks with MN Wild Stalled Out

Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin, along with owner Craig Leipold, have all but assured us that Kirill Kaprizov — who is due to hit free agency after the 2025-26 season — will get a contract extension this offseason.

Yet, here we are, three weeks since Kaprizov — who’s scored 185 goals and posted 386 total points in just 5 NHL seasons (185 games) — became eligible for an extension, and there’s still no deal for the 27-year-old phenom, and hands down most talented player to every put on a Wild sweater. So, what’s the holdup?

Well, after weeks/months of trying keep Wild fans from panicking over the idea that their only true NHL superstar could ultimately end up leaving town, The Athletic’s Michael Russo is starting to question what is going on behind the scenes between Kirill and Billy G.

Kirill Kaprizov contract extension tabled until further notice

During an interview with the Daily Faceoff, Russo didn’t just raise concerns over the fact that talks between the Wild and their Russian superstar remain “not close”, following their latest round of negotiations. But according one of the league’s most respected insiders, the two sides aren’t even at the negotiating table anymore.

And apparently, the now-stalled talks aren’t expected to pick back up until Kirill Kaprizov and Bill Guerin can meet back in the Twin Cities, in person. Currently, Kirill is back home in Novokuznetsk, Russia — a south-central Russian city of 600,000, just 200 miles north of where China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia meet Russia’s southern border.

Kirill Kaprizov contract negotiations with the Wild have been put on hold (per @RussoHockey), after their latest round of talks seemingly went nowhere.

The two sides are "not close" 🫠😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/lSC2JcRuCS

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 22, 2025

“Bill Guerin has been extremely publicly confident that they are going to get [a deal] done. But from what I checked on the last couple days, they are not close. It is going to be one of those things, I think at this point, they are going to take a bit of a breather here. When Kaprizov gets back into town, I think that then Bill Guerin will meet with him and just make sure that everything is being conveyed [properly] to him, and not lost in translation.”

Michael Russo – Interview with the Daily Faceoff

Russo’s unsavory report comes in the midst of a surprisingly underwhelming Minnesota Wild offseason. This, after being told for years that fireworks would undoubtedly fly in July of 2025.

What’s the holdup between the MN Wild and Kirill Kaprizov?

Since those pesky Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout penalty shackles were removed, however, president of hockey operations Bill Guerin has done next to nothing of major significance, instead hanging onto what is now over $10 million in cap space for next season.

I mean, it’s one thing to stay patient when potentially spending big money in the outside free agency market. The Minnesota Wild, though, have failed/avoided to complete any of their in-house summer tasks too. Per Russo, the holdup in Kirill Kaprizov’s negotiations may be term.

“The question is, does he want to sign for eight years, or does he want to go shorter? If I’m him and I’m playing for a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff series since 2015, he might be willing to say ‘alright, I’ll make a commitment, but I’m only going to give you three or four years and then we’ll see where you are’, and it puts a little pressure on the organization to build a true contender here.”

Michael Russo – Interview with the Daily Faceoff

Kirill Kaprizov powerplay goal. Zeev Buium first NHL assist #mnwild pic.twitter.com/tfM5stSb6T

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 25, 2025

Minnesota Wild fumbling Rossi and Kaprizov situations…?

Beyond Kaprizov, Marco Rossi (now a restricted free agent) remains on the MN Wild roster and unhappy, after being demoted to the third line during the Minnesota’s latest first round postseason exit.

Last we heard, after Wild sent him another lowball offer early in the offseason, Rossi’s agents stepped away from the negotiating table, and weeks later, have yet to returned. Minnesota Wild fans won’t shed very many tears, should Guerin deal Marco Rossi.

Related: Minnesota Wild Threatening to Leave St. Paul? Mayor Concerned…

He’s been prepping us for the 23-year-old to be traded pretty much since the moment he selected the Austrian center No. 8 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. But if he finds a way to screw up the Kirill Kaprizov negotiation, Billy G will be run out of St. Paul.