Over the quarter-century that covers the Minnesota Wild's modest existence in the NHL, Kirill Kaprizov has made himself one of a kind.
The price of keeping the star left wing hardly compares to what the steep cost of losing him could've been.
Kaprizov signed an eight-year, $136 million extension on Tuesday, giving him the richest contract in NHL history and giving a Wild team lacking postseason success an elite player to construct a contender around for the foreseeable future.
“We never wanted to entertain Kirill not being here,” general manager Bill Guerin said. “Everybody in this organization has worked extremely hard the last bunch of years to get to where we are today, and Kirill has been a big part of growing and building this team. If it went the other way, it would've been devastating.”
The Wild entered the league as an expansion club in 2000, filling a void that had existed since the North Stars relocated to Dallas in 1993. Only right wing Marian Gaborik, the first player ever drafted by the Wild, had a skill set and scoring touch that rivaled Kaprizov’s in the history of a franchise that has not advanced past the first round of the playoffs in 10 years and has never reached the Stanley Cup Final.
The 28-year-old Kaprizov will count $17 million against the salary cap beginning next season, through 2034. That's the highest annual average salary of any player since the league’s cap era began in 2005, surpassing Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl at $112 million over eight years, a $14 million annual average. Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124 million contract signed with Washington in 2008 was previously the highest total value.
Kaprizov, who has 386 points in 319 regular-season games and 21 points in 25 playoff games, took the ice for training camp earlier this month without a deal but never hinted at any discontent. Guerin, meanwhile, preached patience in light of an earlier offer for a reported $128 million that Kaprizov's agent turned down.
“Look, this was a big decision for Kirill," Guerin said. “We talked about it. It was a big commitment from him. It’s a long time, and we’re talking about the rest of his career.”
Comfort with playing for Minnesota and confidence in the Wild's foundation for a team that can consistently win in the playoffs clearly factored into Kaprizov's decision, despite the seemingly easy enticement of the most money an NHL player has ever made on one contract.
“No matter how much money you make or where you live or anything, if the hockey’s not good, you won’t be happy,” Guerin said. “And that’s one thing I love about Kirill: He’s so focused on the hockey part.”
Kaprizov’s deal sets a new bar at one of the most intriguing financial times in pro hockey. The best player in the world, Connor McDavid, is entering the final year of his contract with Edmonton and could become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Jack Eichel (Vegas) and Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers) are also pending unrestricted free agents.
“I’m not too young, and it’s probably like maybe my last contract in hockey. I don’t know. We’ll see,” said Kaprizov, who will be 37 when this contract is scheduled to expire.
Guerin, sitting next to Kaprizov after practice as they discussed the deal with reporters, interjected, “Maybe one more. Not eight years, though.”
Kaprizov, who is playing on the final season of a five-year, $45 million deal, holds several franchise records, including the best career plus-minus rating (plus-71) by a forward. Only Ovechkin (204) and Auston Matthews (176) had more goals than Kaprizov (174) through 300 career games. He won the Calder Trophy with 27 goals and 24 assists in 55 games in his pandemic-shortened rookie season (2020-21) and has been the Wild’s most productive and dynamic player ever since.
Injuries have begun to pop up, but Kaprizov still managed 40 goals and 35 assists in 67 games in 2022-23 and 46 goals and 50 assists in 75 games in 2023-24. Last season was his most frustrating, when an unspecified lower-body injury eventually required surgery and ultimately cost him 40 games. He still had 25 goals and 31 assists and returned to the ice with a flourish right before the playoffs, when he had five goals and four assists in a six-game loss in the first round to Vegas.
After using a Russian interpreter for interviews during his first two seasons, Kaprizov became comfortable enough to speak publicly in English. He chooses his words carefully, in part to ensure they’re correct and also because he has a thoughtfulness about him the Wild appreciate along with many other positive traits.
Kaprizov sounded as though he’s not thinking too deeply about the stature of his contract or the economics of the sport, however, but rather his admiration for stars like Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby who’ve stayed with the same team their entire careers.
“I just like to live today and do right things,” Kaprizov said, adding: “Especially when I came here, it’s Minnesota has always helped me so much — in life and hockey. I’m just happy to keep doing what we do, just winning here. I hope for sure. I believe one day it’s coming.”
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
___
An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Auston Matthews as previously having the highest annual average value contract.