One of the more intriguing stories heading into the 2025-26 NHL season revolves around Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. A bombshell report dropped leading into training camp that he turned down a $128 million contract offer from Minnesota. Wild general manager Bill Guerin denied the report shortly after it dropped. But his contract situation is under focus heading into the new season.
Kaprizov is the best player on the Wild by a significant margin. He may be the most talented player the team has ever had. Statistically speaking, Kaprizov is top-five all-time in goals and points in Wild history. He is not a player Guerin can easily replace in the lineup.
The report becoming public certainly shook the fanbase. If the 28-year-old is willing to turn down $16 million a season and the largest guarantee in league history, what would he take? Would the Wild be willing to pay up that much?
Kaprizov had a chance to squash these rumors on Thursday. He spoke to the media for the first time as Minnesota opened its training camp. However, he mentioned that he is focusing on hockey. His agent will take care of the contract discussions, he will take care of the hockey.
“It’s my job to just focus on hockey and the camp right now,” Kaprizov said, via NHL.com. “I just want to be practicing. We have a lot of time. Just want to practice and get ready for the season.
“My agent (Paul Theofanous) talks with Billy and the team. It’s not my job right now. I just want to be focused and be ready for the season and keep playing and that’s it.”
Wild’s Bill Guerin Chimes In On Contract Talks
Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesKirill Kaprizov can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026.
Guerin was also asked about this situation on Thursday. The Minnesota general manager could not go into too much detail on the matter, of course. However, he reaffirmed that the team is committed to keeping Kaprizov around long-term.
“Things are fine. The most important thing is that we want to sign Kirill. He’s our franchise player. We want to keep him here. He’s a big part of our team. We’re working toward that. We’re doing the best we can. Hopefully we’ll get there sooner than later,” he said, via NHL.com.
The Wild are a better team when Kaprizov is on the ice. He is their main offensive force. And he is responsible for a good amount of their offense. However, staying on the ice has historically been an issue for the 28-year-old.
Guerin Responds To Kirill Kaprizov Injury Concerns
Kaprizov has three of the top-10 scoring seasons in Wild history points wise. He is the only player in their history with a 100+ point season. In terms of goals, he owns three of the top-five scoring seasons in team history, having scored 40+ goals on all three occasions.
He’s done this while battling injuries in his career. Kaprizov missed 15 games during the 2022-23 season when he scored 40 goals. He missed a handful of games in 2023-24, as well. However, this past season was the most concerning, as he missed 41 games due to an injury.
These concerns may have an impact on his contract negotiations. It’s certainly something Kaprizov, his agent, and Guerin need to weigh. However, the Wild general manager affirmed his confidence in the 28-year-old on Thursday.
“We could be confident and upbeat about it, or we could just come out and say, ‘Oh no.’ What else are we going to say? We know Krill, we like Kirill. He’s a great player. Why wouldn’t we be confident. It’s been a great relationship, so I mean, yeah, we love the kid,” Guerin said, via NHL.com.
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