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Kirill Kaprizov Rejects Massive MN Wild Contract Offer
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- Kirill Kaprizov Rejects Massive MN Wild Contract Offer
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We are officially single-digit days away from the Minnesota Wild meeting in St. Paul on September 19 for the start of 2025 NHL Training Camp. In all likelihood, Kirill Kaprizov will be present, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the start of his sixth season in the league.
But how many more Wild training camps does the Russian superstar have remaining during his NHL career? Well, we were hoping to have more answers to that question, by this point in the offseason. Instead, Kaprizov — who has now arrived in St. Paul — remains unsigned beyond the 2025-26 season .
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For months, we've been told by reporters, president of hockey operations Bill Guerin, and owner Craig Leipold , that there's nothing to worry about, when it comes to Kaprizov. Up until very recently, he was back home in Russia, spending time with family and friends.
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Kirill Kaprizov rejects record-breaking contract extension with Minnesota Wild
Understandably, Guerin wanted to negotiate Kirill's deal in-person. That delayed talks until sometime within the last week. Unfortunately, the two sides were not on the same page when they did finally get the opportunity to sit down at the negotiating table recently.
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According to NHL insider, Frank Seravalli , Kirill Kaprizov and his agency recently turned down a massive long-term contract offer from the Minnesota Wild that was worth 8 years, $128 million, which comes to $16 million per season. Had he signed, it would've been the biggest contract in NHL history.
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
Related: MN Wild Break Out New Uniform Changes
Kaprizov's injury last season, and inability to stay healthy throughout his career gave me hope that, if the Wild were to offer him a blockbuster contract, he wouldn't be able to turn it down.
Kaprizov, 28, is coming off three-straight seasons where he failed to play more than 75 games . Never, in any of his five NHL seasons, has Kirill ever played a full 82-game slate. He managed 81 games played in 2021-2022.
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In 2024, the uber-talented winger was hurt for exactly half of the regular season. In his 41 games, Kirill Kaprizov averaged 22:38 TOI, and played Hart Trophy-level hockey, posting 56 points, including 25 goals averaging 22:38. But not even his inability to stay on the ice consistently can hold Kaprizov's value down, apparently.
Kirill. Kaprizov. pic.twitter.com/aBrDte2JQs
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 10, 2025
Does this news mean that Minnesota Wild fans should panic or that the Russian superstar on his way out of town? Not necessarily. While it certainly isn't good news, Kirill rebuffing Guerin's 8-year offer isn't the most shocking news to drop this week, nor is it necessarily a deal-breaker in negotiations.
No comment from Bill Guerin
More on that momentarily. Because, while this may not be panic-worthy yet, it's not something local insiders Michael Russo and Joe Smith (The Athletic) are taking lightly. And when they asked Guerin about Serevelli's report, and whether or not it's true, the Wild PoHO declined to comment.
Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin declined to comment on the report. Asked if the report, if true, could mean Kaprizov simply won't sign an extension or instead wants to negotiate a shorter-term deal, Guerin also would not comment to The Athletic.
Related: MN Wild Make Sneaky Depth Signing as Camp Creeps Closer
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It's possible Kaprizov turning down this historic contract has just as much to do with financials, as it does the Minnesota Wild. The NHL salary cap is expected to go up the next few years, as money from their new TV deal starts to roll in.
Thus, a record-breaking deal now could look a lot different than max-deals three to four years from now. Because of that, waiting to break the bank until 2028 or 2029 could make sense for any player of Kaprizov's skill-level.
MN Wild may be forced to shop Kirill Kaprizov
More concerning, there have been whispers recently that the Russian superstar isn't sold on the Wild's future as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. And if that is the case and the two sides can't get a short-term deal done by the start of camp, it's "likely "could be incumbent on" Bill Guerin to start shopping him.
If Kaprizov won't entertain a contract extension by the Wild, it could be incumbent on Guerin to get a handful of teams Kaprizov would consider a trade to. Otherwise, like Marian Gaborik in 2009, the Wild would risk losing Kaprizov for nothing next summer.
Stay tuned, because we will find out a lot more about what Kirill Kaprizov is thinking over the next week or two, as we get closer to training camp.
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