The Minnesota Wild can not let Kirill Kaprizov walk.
Their top forward will make $9 million this season before hitting free agency next summer. Should the Wild fail to extend him soon or in-season, every team will vie for Kaprizov’s services.
According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, people around the league have felt that Kaprizov would go after the biggest number in the league, and that the Wild would be willing to pay him.
The current leader is Leon Draisaitl, who makes $14 million AAV. Auston Matthews ($13.25 million), Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million), Connor McDavid ($12.5 million), and Mitch Marner ($12 million) round out the top five.
Kaprizov is probably only a better overall player than Marner out of that group, but his impact on Minnesota’s offense and its historical difficulties in attracting marquee free agents should force its hand.
Since debuting with the Wild in 2020-21, Kaprizov has 185 goals and 386 points over 319 games. That includes a monster 47-goal, 108-point sophomore campaign. When healthy, he is all but a lock for 40+ goals and 90+ points.
The Wild have already locked up their young studs Matt Boldy and Brock Faber for the long term, and have other exciting, budding cornerstones in Zeev Buium, David Jiricek, and potentially Marco Rossi, if they can sign him.
Minnesota is a good franchise, and consistently making the playoffs is nothing to scoff at. However, it has also lost its last eight, yes, eight, first-round series and has advanced past the first round just twice (2014, 2015) since its last Conference Finals appearance in 2003.
The Wild keeping their offensive engine, no matter the price, is a necessity to break that curse.
