Report: Kirill Kaprizov Contract Extension Will Cost Wild a Record-Breaking Amount of Cash

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Jul 14, 2024
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a quiet offseason so far, for the Minnesota Wild. That’s how things are expected to stay for the next few months. But president of hockey operations Bill Guerin isn’t done jostling pieces around just yet, as he plans for the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season and beyond.

We still expect to see a Brock Faber extension, before the team gathers for training camp. And while it probably won’t happen, ambulance chasers like me are watching for a Marco Rossi or Filip Gustavsson trade, between now and then, too.

But whatever the rest of this summer/fall holds, it won’t compare to what next offseason has in store for Wild fans. That’s when the Parise/Suter salary cap cuffs will finally come off, which will free up over $15 million.

Not only that, but the NHL salary cap is expected to increase pretty significantly in the near future too. It’s going up $4.5 million next season, and another nice jump is expected before 2025-26 too. What will Wild president of hockey operations do with all that extra cash?

Kirill Kaprizov will cost the Minnesota Wild how much?

Well… according to longtime local insider Charley Walters (Pioneer Press), much of it will go to Kirill Kaprizov. “Shooter” wrote in Sunday’s paper that, if the NHL salary cap rises again next summer, as expected, the Kaprizov will cost at least $15 million per year.

If the NHL salary cap increases as expected the next two years, it could cost the Wild at least $15 million a season to retain Kirill Kaprizov, 27, who has two seasons remaining on his five-year, $45 million million contract.

Charley “Shooter” Walters – Pioneer Press

As of July 14, 2024, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is the highest paid player in the NHL, at $13.25 million per year. So that $15 million number is going to raise some eyebrows. Some quick research, however, tells us that Charley is probably right.

According to recent reports, Matthews is about to lose his crown as the NFL’s highest paid player, thanks to Leon Draisaitl, who is expected to make nearly $14 million per year on his next deal. Then, next offseason, Draisaitl’s partner in crime with the Oilers, Connor McDavid, is due for a new deal, as well.

$15 million per year for Kaprizov will make sense

The NHL’s collective bargaining agreement says that no player can make more than 20% of a team’s salary cap. Next year’s cap number is set at $88 million, so the max a player can sign for is $17.6 million/year. Here’s a CapFriendly.com tweet about Shohei Ohtani to prove my math.

Unlike in the NBA, there is no individual NHL player who is being paid the maximum. Not even close. The highest paid players in the NHL are currently making about 16% of their team’s salary cap. With a cap of $88 million, that would mean about $14 million on a max type deal this offseason.

Next year, it will go up again. McDavid is unquestionably the best player in hockey and his extension next offseason will set the new NHL market. My guess, is that Kirill Kaprizov waits for McDavid to sign his record-breaking deal. Then, he and his agent move in on a deal that falls just under whatever Connor gets in Edmonton (probably around $15.5-$16 million).

$15 million seems like a lot of money now, but Kirill is more than worth it and the NHL’s salary cap should only continue to increase, as the years go forward. The maximum number of years is eight. Whatever the cost, if Guerin can lock in Kaprizov for eight seasons, he needs to make it happen.

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