Wild's Kirill Kaprizov becomes NHL's highest-paid player, but title won't last

When Draisiatl signed his deal a $14M salary cap number was 14.6% of the league's salary cap. Kaprizov's deal is 16.35% of the cap.

It's just simply bigger across the board. It also might help set the market for bigger contracts in the near future, perhaps even in the coming weeks.

The NHL's best player, Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, is in the final year of his contract and also eligible to sign a new contract extension at any moment. Given that McDavid is the biggest star in the sport and the most dominant player going, there is little chance his contract number is smaller than Kaprizov's.

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel is in a similar situation and might also be able to compel the team — or another — to top that number.

Not only are McDavid and Eichel on the same level as Kaprizov as a player, they bring even more value because of their positional value as centers versus a winger (which Kaprizov plays).

NHL players have lagged behind the other major North American sports for years, and while there is still a noticeable gap between what their top players make, compared to what the top NFL, MLB and NBA players make, Kaprizov's deal — and the ones that will soon follow — show that they are at least finally closing the gap.