Kaprizov’s Greed Will Likely Cost Him His Best Friend in Minnesota

Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin all but promised to reconstruct the roster this offseason in a way that will line the organization up for multiple runs at a Stanley Cup.

How he gets there, however, is still very much up in the air. The Wild have money — about $10 million according to PuckPedia.com. However, given the superstar type of player they are trying to add, plus the money it will take to re-sign their own key contributors… that cap space goes fast.

Marcus Johansson is already gone. He’s back in Sweden to finish out his hockey career. Vladimir Tarasenko is as good as gone. He will cost too much ($4M-$5M) and the Wild don’t really want to do business with his agent right now (more on that momentarily).

Then, there’s Mats Zuccarello. When the season ended, it felt like a lock that Kirill Kaprizov’s best friend and linemate would be back. After all, Minnesota’s superstar has proven time and time again that he is not the same player without Mats in the lineup.

We see how well Mats Zuccarello & Kirill Kaprizov work together on the ice.

What we don't see is the importance of their relationship off the ice.

Zuccarello, who usually doesn't talk much about personal stuff like this, gave a great comment in tonight's postgame.#MnWIld pic.twitter.com/i6mJvZbj7E

— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) April 29, 2026

Unfortunately, as the offseason has picked up, the certainty surrounding Zuccarello’s return has gone completely out the window.

Kaprizov contract expected to cost MN Wild Mats Zuccarello

As we’ve written about recently, those in the know Wild know — like Michael Russo (The Athletic) — are pretty convinced Guerin can no longer afford Kaprizov’s bosom buddy, since Mats Zuccarello is also expected to draw offers in the $4-$5 million range on the open market.

That’s a tough pill to swallow, and not just because the Wild will now have to replace another forward in their top six.

As Russo pointed out Wednesday during his latest “Worst Seats in the House” podcast episode, all of this could have been avoided, had Kirill Kaprizov not taken the Minnesota Wild for every possible penny he could get from them last offseason.

Here's @RussoHockey on how, ironically, Kaprizov's historic payday last offseason likely means the MN Wild can't afford Zuccarello this offseason.

"[Kaprizov] has made his bed, the Wild have made his bed, and he wasn't willing to compromise. Now, it's probably going to cost him… https://t.co/qIqCzDlxG5 pic.twitter.com/54NybDim0l

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) June 18, 2026

Fan Question: “Total hypothetical question. Since the new league year hasn’t started yet and seeing how things have played out, could 97 instruct his agent to go to Billy and say, “We will take eight years at 14 million to give the team more money to use.” Has that ever happened before in history anywhere?”

Russo Answer: “No, that cannot happen. If Kirill wanted to do that, he needed to do that in September, not now. He has made his bed, the Wild have made his bed, and he wasn’t willing to compromise. Now, it’s probably going to cost him Zuccarello. I mean, which is the irony here.

You can’t redo contracts in the NHL.If he wanted to compromise and help the Wild have cap space in the future, to resign Quinn Hughes, to resign Mats Zuccarello, he needed to do that before he took the most money in franchise history.

The way that Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Adrien Kemp, all of them were willing to play ball and do that. So, um no, that can’t be happen.”

Michael Russo – Worst Seats in the House Podcast

During the superstar’s long, drawn-out contract negotiations last summer, he and infamous Russian agent, Paul Theofanous, took the Wild for every penny they had.

How much more is Kirill Kaprizov making than other NHL stars?

Guerin knew he wasn’t getting a discount, making his initial offer the largest in hockey history by a large margin — $16 million per year. When Theofanous scoffed at the offer and walked out, the MN Wild were left in shock. Weeks later, he finally signed for $17 million AAV. The new deal kicks in next season.

For those who might be curious, hat is $3 million more than any other player in the NHL is scheduled to make in 2026-27. Leon Draisaitl is second, at $14 million next season.

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