It would be a bad look if the Minnesota Wild let Kirill Kaprizov walk into free agency in the summer of 2026. Now, it is the players’ prerogative to do so. We saw that more so before the NHL salary cap was introduced in the 2004-05 season. Players used to walk to free agency, and teams did not get much compensation in return. But that has changed, especially over the last decade.
NHL teams want to get value for their players if they know they are not returning and signing an extension. They will look to trade them at the deadline, depending on their standing when it comes to making the playoffs, or they will trade their rights at the NHL Draft or right before the start of free agency on July 1st.
NHL Rumors: It’s All About Term for Kirill Kaprizov
There have been instances recently, including the late-great Johnny Gaudreau, telling the Calgary Flames he didn’t want to re-sign right before free agency began. And he isn’t the only player. This past offseason, Nikolaj Ehlers left the Winnipeg Jets to go to Carolina. One of the biggest ones was Artemi Panarin leaving Columbus to sign with the New York Rangers, while his then teammate Sergei Bobrovsky signed with the Florida Panthers.
So this is a scenario the Minnesota Wild are hoping to avoid with Kaprizov. This team lived it once with Marian Gaborik. Gaborik, at the time, was the most significant player in Minnesota Wild history. Entering the 2008-09 season, Gaobrik was without an extension, and the club didn’t trade him; he walked right into free agency. During that season, Gaborik got hurt, making him untradeable, and then he left in free agency to sign with the New York Rangers.
The Wild are trying to learn from past mistakes when it comes to Kirill Kaprizov and his situation this season. As NHLRumors.com has documented, this may not be just a money thing. It would be a term thing. Maybe he doesn’t want to sign for eight years. Perhaps he only wants a four to five-year deal with the Wild. Kaprizov wants to see what this team is all about. He wants to win, and the Wild have yet to show they can get out of the first round.
NHL Rumors: Kirill Kaprizov Contract Talks Ongoing. Is he Looking for 20% of the Cap?
The Wild did not do much in free agency, but then again, the crop of free agents was not that good. The Wild finally have cap space to sign players again. The last couple of seasons, they have been operating $12-$14 million below the salary cap due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts. Those finally came down to around $2.8 million in total over the next couple of seasons.
When talking to scouts around the league, the value the Minnesota Wild have in a player like Kirill Kaprizov is high. Minnesota found a $15 million-a-season player in the fifth round. Remember, Kaprizov is entering the final year of his current deal that carries an AAV of $9 million. That was already valuable to the team, and where he was picked. The value becomes even greater later on.
Kaprizov knows how valuable he is to the Wild. Before the injury last season, Kaprizov was in the Hart Trophy conversation as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player. He was the best player for the Wild in the playoffs and didn’t miss a beat when he came back from the injury. So there is a reason why he is asking more than Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, who has an AAV of $14 million.
NHL Rumors: Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov
His value is more to the Wild, and the team views him as a blank check guy. Whether he wants 20 percent of the cap or not is irrelevant. He wants to win; that is the key. And his last contract negotiation was a lengthy one, too. There was talk that he wanted out of Minnesota before signing the day before training camp in September 2021. So this could get done over the next week.
However, this feels like it will be a longer negotiation as he waits to see what Connor McDavid does with his contract extension in Edmonton. But if the GM Bill Guerin knows Kirill Kaprizov isn’t signing an extension by December, he has to look to trade him and get value to help the club moving forward. Remember, Guerin turned Kevin Fiala into Brock Faber. So if Kaprizov doesn’t want to stay, you have to go to him and find out where he wants to go.
If the Wild let him walk, that will cripple their franchise for years to come. Minnesota needs to learn from the Marian Gaborik situation and either get Kaprizov signed or trade him to help the club remain competitive in a tough Central Division.
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