With Connor McDavid’s contract uncertainty being the number one focus around the NHL, Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild have somewhat been on the back burner.
The superstar winger is also eligible for a contract extension, and the expectation has been that it would get done before the 2025-26 season; however, things just became really interesting down in the State of Hockey.
According to a report, Kaprizov’s camp has rejected a massive eight-year, $128 million contract extension from the Wild.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli had the bombshell report, which he shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
“Sources say #mnwild superstar Kirill Kaprizov’s camp turned down an extension offer believed to be 8-years, $128 million in a meeting on Tuesday in Minnesota that would have made him the highest-paid player in #NHL history in both AAV ($16 million) and total dollars,” Seravalli wrote.
Sources say #mnwild superstar Kirill Kaprizov’s camp turned down an extension offer believed to be 8-years, $128 million in a meeting on Tuesday in Minnesota that would have made him the highest-paid player in #NHL history in both AAV ($16 million) and total dollars.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 10, 2025
The 28-year-old is currently slated to head into the final season of the five-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Wild back in 2021.
Kaprizov is coming off an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign, though he played at an MVP level when available, tallying 56 points (25 goals, 31 assists) in just 41 games.
What is Kaprizov looking for?
Hockey fans are stunned at the news of Kirill Kaprizov turning down a contract offer that would have made him the highest-paid player in league history.
It remains unclear what it all means for his future in Minnesota, but on the surface, it’s hard not to be worried that he might not want to stay after all.
Perhaps he’d prefer a shorter-term deal to keep his options open down the line, similar to what Connor McDavid seems to want in his negotiations. Still, it’s quite the offer to turn down for a player who’s dealt with injury problems in each of the last three seasons, no matter how unbelievably talented he is.
Either way, this situation just got a whole lot more interesting, and the upcoming season and offseason have the potential to be pure chaos around the NHL.
