The temperature has risen in contract negotiations between Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild.
All summer long, it had been quiet, with the Wild assuring an extension would get done without any issues, likely before the start of the 2025-26 season.
However, that was all thrown aside when insider Frank Seravalli reported on Wednesday that Kaprizov had turned down an eight-year, $128 million mega-deal from the Wild.
Rumors and speculation have run rampant in the aftermath, and that continued on Thursday. It began with Daria Tuboltseva of RG Media sharing a report from Russian journalist Alexei Shevchenko on X (formerly Twitter) that Minnesota had asked Kaprizov for a list of teams he’d accept a trade to.
“Per journalist Alexei Shevchenko, the #mnwild have asked Kirill Kaprizov for his trade list,” Tuboltseva wrote.
Per journalist Alexei Shevchenko, the #mnwild have asked Kirill Kaprizov for his trade list.
— Daria Tuboltseva (@DariaTuboltseva) September 11, 2025
That had the hockey world spinning for several hours until insider Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects revealed that he was hearing differently.
“According to sources, reports that the Wild have approached Kaprizov’s camp for a trade list appears premature,” Robinson wrote.
According to sources, reports that the Wild have approached Kaprizov’s camp for a trade list appears premature.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) September 11, 2025
Quite the interesting back-and-forth, as this situation is really starting to heat up for everyone involved.
The 28-year-old is, of course, about to play the final season of the five-year, $45 million contract signed with the Wild back in 2021. He put up 56 points (25 goals, 31 assists) in just 41 games played during an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign.
Teams to keep an eye on for Kaprizov
If the Minnesota Wild do end up shopping Kirill Kaprizov to avoid him walking in free agency, they’ll almost certainly prefer sending him to the Eastern Conference.
Two Metropolitan Division rivals to watch out for are the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Both reside in one of the biggest markets in North America, are always looking to win, and have a core of talented Russian players that will interest Kaprizov.
On the other hand, if his preference was out west, then all three California teams, LA, San Jose, and Anaheim, would absolutely be big players in these sweepstakes.
And that’s just to name a few; the vast majority of the league would be all-in on acquiring a player like Kirill Kaprizov, and pure chaos would ensue if he became available.
