The Minnesota Wild haven’t had the start they wanted. At 9-7-4, they sit near the bottom of the Central Division and are still searching for consistency. Their latest game was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights, with Kirill Kaprizov scoring the OT winner.
Kaprizov has been the center of NHL attention after signing an eight-year, $136 million deal with a $17 million AAV, the highest in league history. With that price tag, many are questioning whether the Wild got proper value, and NHL insiders are weighing in.
Is Kirill Kaprizov’s $136 Million Contract Really Worth It for the Wild?
There’s no question Kaprizov is Minnesota’s franchise player. He leads the team with 23 points, including 11 goals and 12 assists. In The Athletic, Michael Russo broke down whether the Wild made the right call committing to this record-setting contract.
Russo didn’t mince words. He said, “Yeah, by NHL standards. I’m not going to regurgitate the whole ‘different players have different values to different teams’ thing. Sure, it’s true, and the Wild could not afford to lose Kaprizov. That’s a fact.”
However, he also pointed out that this didn’t mean Minnesota had to offer him significantly more than every other top player approaching free agency in 2026–27. According to Russo, the Wild were cornered by an agent who had all the leverage, and Minnesota ultimately gave up far more than they should have.
What makes the deal look even tougher is what happened right after Kaprizov signed. Vegas’ Jack Eichel inked his contract at $13.5 million AAV. Connor McDavid took $12.5 million, a pay cut for team flexibility. Kyle Connor signed at $12 million, Martin Nečas at $11.5 million, and Adrian Kempe at $10.625 million.
Those stars all accepted significantly less than the new market number Kaprizov set. Because they wanted to help their teams stay competitive under the cap and chase championships. And while Kaprizov is the best player the Wild have ever had, Minnesota now faces the reality that his contract will limit how much they can build around him moving forward.
“That’s not good for anybody: for Kaprizov, who wants to win; for Bill Guerin, who really, really wants to ‘effin win; or for Craig Leipold, who really, really, really wants to win.” Russo said.
Russo added that Minnesota should be an appealing destination for players, and having Kaprizov should help draw talent. “But it’s troublesome that it took overpaying Kaprizov to such a large degree to keep their own homegrown player,” Russo said.
Minnesota will next face the Hurricanes on Wednesday.