Kirill Kaprizov, with a youthful and renewed smile, showed up on the first day of training for the Minnesota Wild. The player, with a revitalized physique and mentality, seeks to focus on the upcoming season.
Pending Contract
Despite his enthusiasm, signing a new contract is the only thing missing. Kaprizov, after an intense practice and an internal scrimmage game, met with the media for the first time since the Wild were eliminated from the playoffs more than four months ago.I like Minny, and everyone knows it. We have a lot of time. It’s only 2025, and I have one more year left. I just want to play hockey, focus, win games, and make the playoffs to win there.
Kirill Kaprizov
Although the team has expressed confidence in reaching an agreement, this did not happen during the summer. General Manager Bill Guerin did not seem concerned about the long-term presence of his 28-year-old left wing, who has proven to be a superstar since his debut.
A social media post revealed that Kaprizov’s team rejected an offer of $128 million for eight years, which would be the highest in league history in terms of total compensation and average annual value. Kaprizov might be looking for a shorter contract with a higher average annual value, which would give him the opportunity to obtain greater economic benefits. Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, was present at the training and spoke with assistant general manager Mat Sells. Both Guerin and Kaprizov avoided going into detail about the negotiations.These negotiations are private. I can’t go into details. Things are good. The most important thing is that we want to sign Kirill. He is our franchise player. We want him to stay here. He is a big part of our team. We are working on it. We are doing the best we can. Hopefully, we will reach an agreement soon. But today is more about the team and starting off on the right foot.
Bill Guerin
Kaprizov is not the only high-profile NHL player who arrived at camp with an expiring contract. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel have also not signed new deals with their respective teams. Kaprizov spent most of the summer in Russia with his family and friends, maintaining his usual training routine. After missing 40 games during the 2024-25 season due to a lower-body injury, Kaprizov commented that he has focused more on his physical conditioning.Not everything written on social media is true. Not everything is false. I can’t control what other people do, and it’s not important. What’s important is our relationship with our players, starting with Kirill. We can’t let things like that interfere with our relationship, our negotiations, or our business agreements.
Bill Guerin
I’m just focusing on hockey and camp right now. I just want to be practicing. We have a lot of time. I just want to practice, prepare for the season, and focus on this now.
Kirill Kaprizov
