Minnesota Wild insider Mike Russo was a guest on the Daily Face Off podcast this week and shed a ton of light on the negotiations between the Wild and Kirill Kaprizov. Needless to say, things are complicated, confusing and troubling when it comes to the future of the player with the Wild organization.
Russo states that Wild general manager figured getting a Kaprizov extension done might be one of his easier deals this summer. It turns out, this extension could be one of his more difficult pieces of business to conduct. Kaprizov has proven to be anything but a player a who would see a big-money, long-term contract and sign it. So far, he’s played the threat of going back to Moscow against the Wild, and he seems unwilling to commit to the franchise long-term, mostly because he believes his value in three or four years will be sky high.
Russo suggests that Kaprizov’s threats to play in the KHL aren’t legitimate and that Guerin isn’t going to budge, but that doesn’t change the fact there’s concern here. Russo reports that Guerin has made a very lucrative offer, in fact, multiple offers that Kaprizov has rejected. Russo explains:
“My gut says they were offering around $9 million on an 8 year deal and probably $8.5 [million] or $8 [million] on a 7 year deal. Right now that has not only not been accepted but its been pretty much rejected from Kaprizov’s camp. So this is like one of the first negotiations I have ever covered where the team is throwing the world at a player that has played 55 games and he’s like ‘No I want a lot less money and a lot less term.'”
That the Wild have already offered to make him the highest-paid player in franchise history. That he’s turned it down has come as a shock to the organization.
What Is The Wild’s Concern?
Russo adds that Guerin doesn’t want to sign Kaprizov to a short-term deal for a couple of reasons. First, the team waited a long time for Kaprizov to come to the NHL. For that patience, they want to be rewarded with more than a player who is going to get a couple of seasons under his belt and then take off.
Second, taking off could be a real possibility as there’s buzz Kaprizov would like to play with Artemi Panarin and there’s no doubt the New York Rangers would back up the Brinks’ armoured truck to pay the player whatever he wants.
What Is Kaprizov’s Concern?
For the player, signing a long-term deal could ultimately cost him millions. While he’s only got 55 career games on his NHL resume, he’s confident that he’ll be a megastar in the NHL and that when the salary cap rises again, the $8 million the Wild are offering will be chump change compared to what he could make in three or four years.
Kaprizovi’s side doesn’t want to sign a long-term deal because they believe he could be a $10 or $11 million player down the road.
Ultimately, Russo wonders if Kaprizov will sign a four or five-year deal. The player’s only leverage is to threaten to leave the NHL and few believe he really wants to do that. A four-year deal gives the Wild some time with the player and maybe a chance to make the player happy and want to stay. For Kaprizov, he’ll get $6.5 – $7 million per season and the virtual guarantee that when the cap starts to go up again, someone (whether it’s the Wild or not) will come to the plate with some really big money.
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