It’s finally done, the Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov officially signed an eight-year, $136 million extension on Tuesday morning, Sept. 30, prior to their final home preseason game against the Winnipeg Jets that night. Nearly a year ago, it seemed like it was going to be a done deal as soon as July 1st came around, but as everyone knows, that day came and went by slowly and quietly in terms of a Kaprizov deal.
Fast forward a few months, and still no news until about a week before training camp started, when there was news that Kaprizov turned down an eight-year deal worth $128 million. Of course, that caused some panic among Wild fans. However, just over two weeks later, Kaprizov signed to stay with the Wild, and fans were ecstatic to have their star. In this article, we’ll take a quick look at the good and bad, and how it could affect the Wild going forward, starting with his saying yes.
Wild’s Kaprizov Says Yes
It’s official, Kaprizov signed an extension that makes him the highest-paid player in NHL history. Everyone knew it was going to happen; the biggest question was, would he sign with Minnesota or push to go somewhere else? The Wild’s owner, Craig Leipold, made it clear last year that no one would offer Kaprizov more in terms of money, and it turns out, he was right. While the first offer was turned down, the next one wasn’t, and the Wild were able to keep their franchise player.
“I’m sure that didn’t hurt. But you know, look, this is a big decision for Kirill…we talked about it. It’s a big commitment from him, it’s a long time, he expressed this is, we’re talking about the rest of his career, and that’s not a small decision, and I think most people look at the money and say Oh, it’s an easy decision, it’s not. It’s not an easy decision because no matter how much money you make or where you live, or anything if the hockey’s not good, you won’t be happy and that’s the one thing I love about Kirill, is that he’s so focused on the hockey part, he just wanted to make sure he was doing the right thing for himself and his happiness,” Wild general manager Bill Guerin said at their press conference after practice following the signing about if uping the offer was what made it happen.
“I don’t know.. When I came here, I just I don’t know, I’m guy like this, who’s like don’t try think too much over and over. I just like to live today and do right things, and I don’t know it’s great, sometimes you watch like old guys like say Crosby or Ovechkin or whatever, guys stay same team all the time, whole career. It’s pretty fun, don’t change so many teams and just play for one team, and especially when I came here, Minnesota always helped me so much wherever, outside of hockey, in the life and hockey and I just happy to keep doing what we do and winning her,e and I hope for sure, I believe one day it’s coming…” Kaprizov said during the press conference on what he would’ve thought if he knew then what he does now about signing this contract.
Wild’s Pros & Cons of Contract
While everyone was extremely excited to have Kaprizov sign in Minnesota, it does have its pros and cons in terms of the contract side. First off, it’s a lot of money; it may not seem like it in terms of professional sports, but it is. It averages to about $17 million a year, with some signing bonuses worked in, but he is their franchise player, and this is what’s expected for franchise players. His contract is a bit out of the norm with the way the signing bonuses are being given in the very beginning years of his contract, according to a post by Michael Russo of The Athletic.
While that’s great for Kaprizov and that the Wild get to keep him, it’s also a lot to invest in a player who has struggled with injuries. Regardless, the Wild know what they have when he’s healthy, and they didn’t want to lose him. At this point, if he can stay healthy and help the Wild get all the way, then he’ll be worth every penny. However, there’s always the risk that they won’t get there, and then this money will be a hard thing to swallow. Although he’s an entertaining player to watch and fans want to see him play, which sells tickets.
The only real cons to this contract are the risk of injury, not making it all the way, and the term. The pros outweigh those cons with the type of player Kaprizov is and how many points he’s put up. He’s the first true superstar the Wild have had, and he electrifies everyone when he’s in the lineup. As for pros to his contract, again, it’s a lot of money and a long contract, but the older he gets, the less money the Wild is paying out. He’ll be 36 when the contract ends, and who knows where his game will be at that point, so the Wild thought of pretty much everything when they made this offer, especially after the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.
“We never wanted to even entertain Kirill not being here, and honestly, we’ve worked, everybody in this organization has worked extremely hard the last bunch of years to get to where we are today, and Kirill’s been a big part of growing and building this team, and yeah, if it went the other way, it would’ve been devastating… I mean, it didn’t happen, so we’re relieved about that, but we’re just happy,..it even looked like the guys on the ice today, there was a little extra jump in everybody’s step. I know all his teammates are very excited, he’s a very popular guy on the team, they know, everybody knows what he means to the team….” said Guerin about being relieved the signing is done.
Wild Benefits Outside of Contract
While everyone is pretty focused on the details of the contract for Kaprizov, it’s important to look at how his being on the Wild will affect the team outside of the actual numbers. As stated before, he is an electric, energy type of player that will provide both valuable leadership and could attract other top-notch free agents to come to this team and help make a Stanley Cup push in the future, depending on how things go. He can put up a lot of points when he stays healthy, and overall, he just makes everyone better.
“Playing with great players is what people want to do,” Guerin said about getting other high free agents to come here, and he continued about Kaprizov’s leadership, “…You know what Spurgey (Spurgeon) leads in his own way, Moose (Foligno) leads in his own way, and Kirill leads in his own way… To me, he’s very much like Sidney Crosby, in the way that he trains, the way that he lives his life, the way he practices, the way he competes in the games. Those are the real driving forces, that he brings to the table and that just rubs off on the entire organization…he doesn’t need to say a word, he doesn’t need to give big ‘ra ra’ speeches, his leadership is on the ice, in the gym, how he carries himself, all those things and then people, it’s infectious….”
Related: Kaprizov Contract Could Complicate Maple Leafs’ McDavid Chances
It’s a lot to take in after how the offseason went, but now everyone can take a breath and relax a little bit knowing Kaprizov is here to stay. While it may not be the term or amount everyone wanted, it’s what convinced Kaprizov to stay and try to win a Stanley Cup in Minnesota, which is the main goal for everyone involved, from the organization to the fans. Hopefully, Kaprizov can help make that happen at least once over the next nine years he’s with the Wild.
