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Wild, Kaprizov contract talks at a 'standstill,' insider says

Originally posted on Bring Me The News | By Joe Nelson | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 1:40 PM ET

The Minnesota Wild officially open training camp in less than a week, and drama surrounding Kirill Kaprizov's contract remains in the spotlight.

Earlier this week, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that Kaprizov turned down an offer from the Wild that would've made him the richest player in NHL history. Servalli said it was an eight-year, $128 million offer.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin didn't deny the report, but he did claim he didn't know where it came from. Michael Russo of The Athletic says that's not true.

"He said, 'I don't know where this came from,' which by the way he does. I guarantee you does, because I know where it came from," Russo said on his Worst Seats in the House podcast alongside co-host Anthony LaPanta.

So where to things stand with Kaprizov and the Wild?

"Right now, it is at a standstill," Russo said. "I don't know if the Wild know how to tackle this right now."

Russo said he's not aware of any contract talks scheduled Friday and he thinks "both sides are going to take a little bit of a breath." But with training camp opening September 18 and the regular season starting October 9, pressure is building to come to an agreement.

What happens if they can't reach a deal? That's when trade talks enter the chat.

"At what point, if this continues to go nowhere, do you go to them and say 'give me a bunch of teams, or a handful of teams that you're willing to play (for),'" Russo said.

Kaprizov has a full no-move clause in his contract, meaning he'd have to waive the clause for teams the Wild could negotiate with. Teams interested in trading for Kaprizov would also need an assurance that Kaprizov will sign a long-term extension before they part with a significant package of players, prospects and draft picks to get him.

Another interesting nugget from the podcast was a back-and-forth in which Anthony LaPanta and Russo talked about Kaprizov perhaps knowing that there are teams out there that might be willing him give him a maximum deal, which would be 20% of the salary cap.

The most the Wild can pay him is $19.1 million, which is based on the $95.5 million salary cap this season. If the cap jumps to $104 million next season, he could make up to $20.8 million annually.

"If he thinks he has $19 million or $20 million in the bank — and why does he think that? Probably because he knows, which is not allowed, by the way — that is putting him in a position where he wants the Wild to give more money," Russo said.

"But I don't think the Wild have even been given any instructions, like, 'make us another offer.' Right now, it's just been turned down. So do the Wild now just keep negotiating against the themselves? 'Here's $16.5 (million), here's $17 (million), here's $17.5 (million), $18 (million). For a winger, not even a center."

For now, until Kaprizov says otherwise, there's a possibility that he would prefer playing somewhere else rather than signing the richest deal in NHL history with the only NHL team he's known.

This article first appeared on Bring Me The News and was syndicated with permission.

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