Kirill Kaprizov's payday is coming.
Each time a new report comes out, it sounds like the Minnesota Wild's superstar, entering the last year of his contract, is about to sign up his future to stay in Minnesota.
The latest insight makes the deal sound potentially massive, too.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that Kaprizov could be looking at a deal for eight years worth $16 million per year, for a total value of $128 million.
That'd be the largest annual average value for a contract in NHL history.
It might not stay the record for long, because Connor McDavid is also entering the final year of his deal. But Kaprizov seems much more likely to sign soon, so he can potentially hold the record for the time being.
He's such a crucial player to the Wild, who probably have no choice but to get this done no matter the cost.
"I don't know how the Wild chart their path forward offensively putting the puck in the net if they don't have Kirill Kaprizov in the fold," another insider, Frank Seravelli, saidrecently on the B/R Open Ice stream. "It's just about wrapping their head around it."
Kaprizov is coming off a season when he missed 41 games in the regular season due to injury.
He still scored 25 goals and added 31 assists in just 41 games played.
In the 2023-24 season when Kaprizov was healthy for 75 games, he had 46 goals and 50 assists.
Two seasons prior to that, he had 47 goals and 61 assists, both career bests.
At 28 years old, Kaprizov has proven his fifth-round draft status was clearly not high enough. He's a superstar, and the Wild will have to pay him like one to keep him around.
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