Report: Wild star Kirill Kaprizov rejects most lucrative contract in NHL history

[Erick Estrada]

Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov turned down an eight-year, $128 million contract on Tuesday in a meeting with the team, according to a report on X by NHL insider Frank Seravalli.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...ntract-report/

Looks like he wants to change teams in the offseason. I kind of feel for Wild fans. Makes me wonder if the NHL should adopt a franchise player type of rule....just after McDavid leaves Edmonton of course.

[EVERLAST]

Holy non impact player.
Let him Walk Minny

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...ntract-report/

Looks like he wants to change teams in the offseason. I kind of feel for Wild fans. Makes me wonder if the NHL should adopt a franchise player type of rule....just after McDavid leaves Edmonton of course.

Not a terrible idea. A team could tag one player and pay them the max individual AAV as a percentage of the cap and not have it count against the cap.

The high end talent gets paid and doesn't chew up all the cap space for the rank and file of the PA.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Funny that this leaks but the McDavid stuff is kept all hush hush.

[bluejays]

Kaprizov is a very good player but to turn down that contract probably shows me he's looking at an exit and not negotiating in good faith. He's better than Marner but substantially more? No way. He wants out or he's trying to bend them over to stay, which is a pretty crappy thing to do when you started with the organization. In any case, I don't think any player is worth that much as a percentage of the cap. Minny may be dodging a bullet.

[Ped]

Wasn't there questions of his commitment to Minnesota before he originally came over in the first place? Rumours that he didn't particularly want to play there?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by bluejays

Kaprizov is a very good player but to turn down that contract probably shows me he's looking at an exit and not negotiating in good faith. He's better than Marner but substantially more? No way. He wants out or he's trying to bend them over to stay, which is a pretty crappy thing to do when you started with the organization. In any case, I don't think any player is worth that much as a percentage of the cap. Minny may be dodging a bullet.

He's been on 100+ points paces in all but his 1st and 3rd year. He was in first place in points when he got injured last year, IIRC, ahead of Kucherov, Mackinnon and McDavid. And in Minnseota he's even more valuable.

If McDavid did the same to the Oilers would you accuse him of "bending them over" or owing something to the org he started with?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by EVERLAST

Holy non impact player.
Let him Walk Minny

Weren't they in a PO position when he got hurt, fell dramatically afterwards, and then preserved their spot when he came back? Sounds pretty impactful to me.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

He's been on 100+ points paces in all but his 1st and 3rd year. He was in first place in points when he got injured last year, IIRC, ahead of Kucherov, Mackinnon and McDavid. And in Minnseota he's even more valuable.

If McDavid did the same to the Oilers would you accuse him of "bending them over" or owing something to the org he started with?

If McDavid did the same thing I would definitely say the same thing. Taking up that much cap space for one person is a disaster. Minnesota is willing to go there yet he won't sign? That's terrible. How is it not bending them over?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by bluejays

If McDavid did the same thing I would definitely say the same thing. Taking up that much cap space for one person is a disaster. Minnesota is willing to go there yet he won't sign? That's terrible. How is it not bending them over?

It may be, but it's funny how people tend to cheer teams for getting their players to take bad deals but crap on players for doing the b est they can to get paid.

There's pretty good analysis that says Kaprizov was MVP level last year, and responsible for more Minnie points than any other skaters for their teams.

And I bet you'd LOL at McDavid doing the same thing.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by bluejays

Kaprizov is a very good player but to turn down that contract probably shows me he's looking at an exit and not negotiating in good faith. He's better than Marner but substantially more? No way. He wants out or he's trying to bend them over to stay, which is a pretty crappy thing to do when you started with the organization. In any case, I don't think any player is worth that much as a percentage of the cap. Minny may be dodging a bullet.

He may have told them he doesn't want to stay, and they are attepting to bribe him. He may not be negotiating in bad faith.

If he's simply trying to get as much money as possible, using the teams desire to keep him, that's simply using his leverage, which every person is entitled to do.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by bluejays

Kaprizov is a very good player but to turn down that contract probably shows me he's looking at an exit and not negotiating in good faith. He's better than Marner but substantially more? No way. He wants out or he's trying to bend them over to stay, which is a pretty crappy thing to do when you started with the organization. In any case, I don't think any player is worth that much as a percentage of the cap. Minny may be dodging a bullet.

It maybe makes sense now, all the public comments from Leipold that they'd open the vault and pay him more than any other team ever would. In a scenario where they know he's going to leave, the more public it is how much Minnesota offered him the team avoids any backlash from the fanbase.

Take note Edmonton.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Not a terrible idea. A team could tag one player and pay them the max individual AAV as a percentage of the cap and not have it count against the cap.

The high end talent gets paid and doesn't chew up all the cap space for the rank and file of the PA.

It would need to count against the cap, like in the NFL.

Otherwise, the players % of revenue would increase more than 50%.

[Dion]

Right on cue

Second, the fact is that the 28-year-old star would be committing the rest of his career to stay in Minnesota and on a team that hasn't won a playoff round in 10 years and has gotten out of the first round just twice in its history. That is probably something he doesn't want to do -- so Kaprizov might just be eyeing up other destinations.

That is why the Toronto Maple Leafs need to get in on the action. The pending unrestricted free agent, if not re-signed in the next couple of months, could be the best trade deadline rental piece since the salary cap has come to the NHL.

Second, the fact is that the 28-year-old star would be committing the rest of his career to stay in Minnesota and on a team that hasn't won a playoff round in 10 years and has gotten out of the first round just twice in its history. That is probably something he doesn't want to do -- so Kaprizov might just be eyeing up other destinations.

That is why the Toronto Maple Leafs need to get in on the action. The pending unrestricted free agent, if not re-signed in the next couple of months, could be the best trade deadline rental piece since the salary cap has come to the NHL.

Now is the time to strike and pour every resource they have when a player like Kaprizov is available. It is still incredibly uncertain even if a trade is on the table -- since the Wild themselves have playoff hopes and dreams. But in a month or two, and if Minnesota falters ever so slightly to start its season, we know that there will be teams hounding general manager Bill Guerin to see how much it would take to pry the Russian star out of St. Paul; and the Leafs need to be one of them.

Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, virtually every prospect and draft pick that the Leafs have possession of for the next four or five years -- send them to Minnesota to try and get this MVP-level star for even just a few months and really try.

https://editorinleaf.com/maple-leafs...irill-kaprizov

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Hey Kirill, haaaaaave you met Craig?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

It maybe makes sense now, all the public comments from Leipold that they'd open the vault and pay him more than any other team ever would. In a scenario where they know he's going to leave, the more public it is how much Minnesota offered him the team avoids any backlash from the fanbase.

Take note Edmonton.

Calgary did that with Gaudreau and still got backlash.

[Ped]

Kaprizov was the Hart front-runner when he got injured, so he is easily one of the best players in the game.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

It may be, but it's funny how people tend to cheer teams for getting their players to take bad deals but crap on players for doing the b est they can to get paid.

There's pretty good analysis that says Kaprizov was MVP level last year, and responsible for more Minnie points than any other skaters for their teams.

It’s good for players to use all of their leverage to get the best deals and play where they want.

It’s bad for small market teams and their fans.

[TheIronMaiden]

So what does a track for one year of Kaprisov look like?

[3thirty]

So is he a King or Ranger after this season?