Despite reports that he recently declined the most lucrative contract offer in NHL history, Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild organization both affirm their commitment to reaching a long-term agreement.
As training camp approaches this Thursday, the contract status of Kaprizov — who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 — has naturally taken center stage. However, Wild General Manager Bill Guerin stated his intention to keep negotiation details confidential.
Guerin expressed confidence in the ongoing process: “Everything is proceeding well. Our paramount goal is to secure Kirill. He is integral to our franchise, and we are dedicated to retaining him as a cornerstone of our team. We are actively working towards this objective, exerting our utmost effort.”
Earlier in September, Kaprizov reportedly turned down an eight-year, $128-million extension proposal. This offer would have set new NHL records for both average annual value and total contract worth.
On Thursday, Kaprizov deferred specific questions regarding his free agency to his agent. Nevertheless, he reiterated his strong desire to continue his career in Minnesota.
In his relatively brief five-season NHL career, Kaprizov has already cemented his reputation as one of the league`s elite offensive talents. The three-time 40-goal scorer has maintained a point-per-game pace in all but one of his NHL seasons, notably earning the Calder Trophy as the league`s top rookie in 2020-21.
Last season, the Russian forward`s performance was impacted by injuries, limiting him to just 41 games. Despite this, he made a significant impact, tallying 25 goals and 31 assists, and achieving a career-high shooting percentage of 17.2%.
A three-time All-Star, Kaprizov proved to be a remarkable late-round find for the Wild, having been drafted 135th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.