Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin dismissed Wednesday’s report claiming Kirill Kaprizov rejected an eight-year, $128 million extension from the team.
“I don’t know where this stuff comes from,” Guerin said on the “10,000 Takes” podcast. “I know two things: that info didn’t come from us, and it didn’t come from Kirill’s agent.”
The Wild’s front office has been negotiating with the pending unrestricted free agent since July 1. Kaprizov can hit the open market after this season ends.
“Kirill and the organization, his agent and I, we have a very good relationship. We’re not gonna let things like this get in the way.”
Guerin expressed confidence the Wild will secure a new deal with their star winger.
“I still think we’re in a really positive place with Kirill,” he said. “Part of my role is to protect him, so we’re gonna let this go and we just move on.”
The 28-year-old Russian forward currently carries a $9 million average annual value, making him Minnesota’s highest-paid player.
Kaprizov was in Hart Trophy contention last season before a lower-body injury limited him to 41 games. He still managed 56 points despite the shortened campaign.
His best season came in 2021-22 when he set franchise records with 47 goals, 61 assists, and 108 points.
The Wild have $64.6 million committed for next season. That leaves plenty of cap space to re-sign Kaprizov, especially with the salary cap projected to reach $104 million by 2026-27.
Minnesota’s front office has made re-signing their top scorer a priority heading into the final months of his current contract.
