Kirill Kaprizov’s New Deal with Wild Looks Even More Expensive Now

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold talked for years about how excited he was to pay superstar Kirill Kaprizov, publicly writing a blank check for the 28-year-old long before contract negotiations even started.

With all that leverage, Kirill and his agent Paul Theofanous — widely considered one of the more ruthless representatives in the league — chose to squeeze every penny they could out of an owner and organization that had been showing their negotiating hand for months.

In the end, Kirill Kaprizov did sign an 8-year contract extension, the same length that was originally offered by the MN Wild weeks earlier. But the numbers were higher. Instead of $16 million per year put on the table by general manager Bill Guerin, Kirill settled at $17 million — $136 million total.

Kirill Kaprizov signs for $17M per year for the next eight years. Good for the Wild to get him locked up long term and hopefully the salary cap jumps up more than expected to push this deal closer to the fair value range. pic.twitter.com/yGeLHpm8oH

— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) September 30, 2025

To add even more intrigue, $120 million (94%) of Kaprizov’s contract will be paid in yearly July signing bonuses. That is significant being that Leipold has almost NEVER been willing to pay any sort of signing bonus, let alone $16 million per season to one player.

Connor McDavid’s deal makes Wild payday for Kaprizov look crazy

By the time Kirill Kaprizov agreed to terms, the announcement came somewhat as a surprise. That’s because many fans and media members had accepted the idea that he was going to wait until after other lame duck superstars around the league set the market before him.

There was an expectation around some corners of the league that he was waiting specifically for Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid to break the bank. He is more decorated than Kaprizov, after all, and he too is 28 years old. Of course, that’s not how reality played out.

On Monday, though, less than a week after Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild set a new financial bar in the NHL, Connor McDavid did agree to terms on a new deal with the Oilers. But in comparison to Kirill’s, the numbers are rather underwhelming, at just two years and $12.5 million per.

THE CAPTAIN 🫡

The #Oilers have signed forward Connor McDavid to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $12.5 million! pic.twitter.com/UYpGe4NKkx

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 6, 2025

McDavid’s willingness to play for less yearly, and a short-term commitment, will undoubtedly provide Edmonton flexibility both now and in the future. Kaprizov will account for roughly 18% of the Minnesota Wild’s salary cap this season. By the tail end, that number will be closer to 15%.

By choosing to play on a short-term deal, for a bit less money, McDavid gives the Oilers a more straightforward path to add talent around him. He will also be up for another contract extension when he still has plenty of good years ahead of him, and the salary cap will have risen by the time for those negotiations.

On the other hand, the Minnesota Wild do not have to worry about contract negotiations with Kaprizov until he is into the twilight years of his career. Meanwhile, the Oilers will have the stress of re-signing McDavid within the next 12-24 months, something Bill Guerin & Co wanted to avoid at all costs in St. Paul.

Neither Kaprizov or McDavid have won a Stanley Cup. You have to have a player of their caliber in order to accomplish that, but a single talent isn’t good enough to carry a hockey team. Edmonton finished with 101 points last season compared to the Wild’s 97.

General manager Bill Geurin has to hope he hits on additions like Nico Sturm and Vladimir Tarasenko if Kaprizov’s contract is going to pay off. The Oilers will have more room to maneuver while looking for the Ontario native to win a Cup.