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There is nothing more important for Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin than getting superstar Kirill Kaprizov locked up long-term this summer. But it looks like that is going to be a lot easier said than done.
As The Athletic's Michael Russo reported on Monday, the two sides are still far apart on contract extension talks with training camp roughly two months away.
“Bill Guerin has been extremely publicly confident that they're going to get it done, but from what I checked on the last couple of days, they are not close,” Russo said on the DFO Rundown with Jason Gregor.
“It is going to be one of those things, I think at this point they're going to take a little bit of a breather here, and when Kaprizov gets back into town, I think that then Guerin will meet with him and make sure that everything is being conveyed to him and not lost in translation. The question is, kind of like McDavid, does he want to sign for eight years, or does he want to go shorter?”
The Wild haven't won a first-round playoff series since 2015, so Russo notes that it might make more sense for the Russian superstar to sign a three or a four-year deal, rather than committing for a full eight seasons.
Michael Russo gives an update on the Kirill Kaprizov contract negotiations
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Wild's Kirill Kaprizov to earn more than Leon Draisaitl?
Regardless, if Russo's reporting is correct, it looks like Kaprizov will become the highest-paid winger in the National Hockey League, a distinction currently held by Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl.
“I think he's definitely going to surpass Draisaitl, not that Draisaitl is not the better player, but one, it's a different year, and two, a different situation,” Russo explained. “This is a franchise that has never had a superstar like Kaprizov, it's imperative that they get him done and it's not going to be for $14 million, he will become the highest-paid winger in the National Hockey League.”
Draisaitl currently makes $14 million per season, and will until the end of 2033. He's one of the premier players in the NHL right now, having advanced to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with the Oilers and recorded over 100 points in each of the last four seasons.
If Kaprizov does sign for over $14 million, he will be making more money than any of the top three earners in the league, besides Draisaitl: Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews ($13.25 million), Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million), and McDavid ($12.5 million AAV).
Kaprizov is undoubtedly a superstar, and when healthy, close to a top-five player in the National. But north of $14 million is a ton of money, and his production has been closer to countryman Artemi Panarin, who has made $11.64 million per season since signing with the New York Rangers in 2019.
It's clear that Kaprizov is not going to take any type of team-friendly discount, and if the Wild aren't willing to pay him over $14 million per season, there are a plethora of teams who would love to throw that kind of money at the 28-year-old.
