Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov would have had the biggest contract in the history of the NHL already if he had agreed to the mammoth extension his team put on the table last week.
That was an eight-year contract worth $128 million. But Kaprizov refused to sign it, leaving him and the Wild in an intriguing situation this offseason. As it stands, Kaprizov only has a year left on his current contract, with the 2025-26 NHL season potentially his last with the only franchise he's played for so far in the league.
Despite the ongoing impasse between Kaprizov and Minnesota and amid trade rumors, Wild alternate captain Marcus Foligno is convinced that both sides will eventually come to terms.
“He’s a franchise player,” Foligno said (h/t Joe Smith of The Athletic). “He’s so special, and those guys, you can’t let go, right? It’s going to take time. You look at a lot of the superstars in the league. It’s going to take time. (There are) things they have to go back and forth with. We’re positive that he’ll be around, knowing he’s just focused on the next game and how to win as a team this season.”
Meanwhile, Wild captain Jared Spurgeon doesn't see the team's situation with Kaprizov negatively affecting Minnesota's preparation for the upcoming season.
“It’s the business side of things,” Spurgeon said. “It’s up to (president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin) and him to go through that stuff. It doesn’t affect us. Everyone goes through it in their career. And everyone has those years where you’re coming into a contract negotiation. We’d love to have him here as long as he wants.”
At just 28 years old, Kaprizov has already established himself as among the all-time Wild greats. In five seasons with Minnesota, thus far, the talented Russian skater has amassed 185 goals to go with 201 assists for a total of 386 points across 319 games.
Kaprizov has scored at least 40 goals in three different seasons. In the 2024-25 campaign, he had 25 goals and 31 assists in just 41 games, as he missed half the season due to a surgery he underwent to address a lower-body injury.
