Minnesota Wild’s shining star is Kirill Kaprizov, a 27-year-old forward from Russia. In just four seasons, he’s scored 330 points. For comparison, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin had 397 and 420 points in the same timeframe. Kaprizov snagged the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in 2021 and secured a five-year deal worth $45 million. With two years left on this contract, Minnesota’s owner is determined to keep him around for good.
Craig Leipold, the team owner, told reporters on Tuesday that re-signing Kaprizov is their main goal. “He’s going to be the focus of what we’re going to do,” he said confidently. However, big deals like this aren’t always straightforward. If they can’t agree by 2026 when Kaprizov becomes a free agent, many teams will line up for him.
Leipold isn’t worried though; he believes Minnesota has the best offer ready. “Nobody will offer more money than us or longer [years],” he claimed boldly. “We just need to show him we want to win.”
Challenges Ahead:
But here’s where it gets tricky: last season was rough for Minnesota—they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19 and haven’t won a playoff series since way back in 2014-15, long before Kaprizov joined them. While he might not be their only hope for postseason success, he’s definitely a huge part of it.
Fans might wonder if keeping such an amazing player can finally help turn things around for Minnesota.
Leipold remains optimistic about building a consistent playoff team with Kaprizov at its core. Securing his future with them over these next two seasons could attract other talented players who’ll help lift both Kaprizov and the Wild higher than ever before.
What do you think? Can they make it happen?
