Kirill Kaprizov speaks out on Wild future after turning down record-breaking $128M contract offer

The 2025-26 season will start in less than a month, and it will be Kirill Kaprizov's final year of his five-year $45 million contract. He is eligible to sign an extension, but reportedly rejected an eight-year $128 million offer. It would have made him the highest-paid player in NHL history.

However, Kaprizov said to the media on Thursday that there is still time to work out his future. He also made it clear that he likes playing in Minnesota.

"Yeah, you guys know I like Minny," Kaprizov said, via The Athletic's Joe Smith. "Everyone knows. We have a lot of time. It's just 2025. It's one more year."

Wild general manager Bill Guerin also discussed the situation and explained that talks are ongoing with Kaprizov's camp. The team wants to keep him long-term.

"These negotiations are private," Guerin said. "I can't really get into it. Things are fine. The most important thing is that we want to sign Kirill. He's our franchise player. We want to keep him here. He's a big part of our team. We're working towards that. We're doing the best we can."

Minnesota's team owner, Craig Leipold, spoke about Kaprizov earlier this month. Leipold was expecting positive talks with the winger and called him the most important part of the team’s future.

"This will be a huge deal, likely the biggest in the NHL ever," Leipold said on Sept. 3, via NHL.com, "There's no better human being or better hockey player or better person than Kirill."

Kaprizov has been Minnesota’s top scorer since joining the team in 2020. He has scored 40 goals in three campaigns, and had 47 goals and 108 points in 2021-22. Kaprizov missed 41 games last season but still had 25 goals. His performance remains key to the Wild’s success.

Elliotte Friedman raised questions about Kirill Kaprizov’s contract

Elliotte Friedman discussed Kirill Kaprizov’s contract talks on Monday. He said that managers want Minnesota to hold the line after the winger rejected the $128 million extension offer.

Friedman explained that if Kaprizov signs for $16 million, other players may expect higher contracts. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are among those who might be affected.

"If Kaprizov goes to 16, where does that take? Jack Eichel, maybe not 16, but we're talking 14, 15 (million)," Friedman said, via the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "Where does that take Connor, you know. Where does that take a whole bunch of other players here?"

Friedman believes that Minnesota’s offer could influence the whole league. Kaprizov's negotiation carries importance for players, agents and management.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez