Article: Can Kirill Kaprizov Live Up To Highest-Paid-In-the-NHL Billing?

[Tony Abbott]

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[Citizen Strife]

Minnesota can't be choosy. Just do it.

[SkolWild73]

I am sure most of us would like him signed no matter that dollar amount.  If it is at the lower end at 14M, great, a little more money for the rest of the roster.  But if he gets 16M, I am fine with it.  We have never had a player of his caliber, so a couple mill a year won’t hurt my feelings.

[Enforceror]

19 minutes ago, SkolWild73 said:

I am sure most of us would like him signed no matter that dollar amount.  If it is at the lower end at 14M, great, a little more money for the rest of the roster.  But if he gets 16M, I am fine with it.  We have never had a player of his caliber, so a couple mill a year won’t hurt my feelings.

Agreed. What 2M impact piece would be missing out on?

[SkolWild73]

47 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

Agreed. What 2M impact piece would be missing out on?

Probably not much.  Just 2M more to offer someone if it came down to that.

[Protec]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

Minnesota can't be choosy. Just do it.

I remain apprehensive. 

He is the best MN has had. Great player. Worthy of being called the best the Wild have had. 

Coming off the worst contract penalties in the history of hockey, should the Wild go hard? OCL helped get the Wild in a bind once already. Now he's speaking out of turn and giving Kirill the farm so to speak. 

It seems unwise. Give him a great offer. Don't give him the highest paid, long deal. He's great but I think he's in the top 15-20 guys and he's not a center. I think you wanna stay at or below 13M. People are scared he'll wanna leave. 12M/5yrs is what I think makes sense and was maybe realistic given this season. Except OCL said that public stuff and now my gut says <13M would be an insult or appear to be cheapskate-offer. 

[OldDutchChip]

Last season, there were just three wingers in Tier 1: Kucherov (1B), Pastrnak (1C), and Tkachuk (1C). None of these three are better than Kap. Pay him and make Kap highest paid player in the league. He is worth it. 

And this is all just until the next star is up for the contract. Which will come in higher than Kap. So set the market now, but it's a matter of time before someone else pays more. 

[Protec]

In terms of the savings, I think it's more about what MN can do in the shuffle. 2-3M on it's own may not seem like much, but combined with let's say Fred's money if he were traded and some available cap and MN could afford a more expensive bigger name player. Especially if part of larger picture puzzle. 

My.02 cents. 

I been liking the idea to offer-sheet Knies from Toronto or perhaps try to trade for Pastrnak, something big but not as risky as diving back into an albatross contractike the 11/20 deals. 

I think Kirill will continue to be great but is he top 5 in the NHL. At times, yes. It's kinda already done in my mind due to OCL's comments. 

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, Protec said:

In terms of the savings, I think it's more about what MN can do in the shuffle. 2-3M on it's own may not seem like much, but combined with let's say Fred's money if he were traded and some available cap and MN could afford a more expensive bigger name player. Especially if part of larger picture puzzle. 

My.02 cents. 

I been liking the idea to offer-sheet Knies from Toronto or perhaps try to trade for Pastrnak, something big but not as risky as diving back into an albatross contractike the 11/20 deals. 

I think Kirill will continue to be great but is he top 5 in the NHL. At times, yes. It's kinda already done in my mind due to OCL's comments. 

Imagine if Billy signs Kap AND trades for Pasta? Or Kap leaves and we sign Brock 

time will tell 😎🍺

[Lern2spell]

2 hours ago, Protec said:

It seems unwise. Give him a great offer. Don't give him the highest paid, long deal. He's great but I think he's in the top 15-20 guys and he's not a center. I think you wanna stay at or below 13M. People are scared he'll wanna leave. 12M/5yrs is what I think makes sense and was maybe realistic given this season. Except OCL said that public stuff and now my gut says <13M would be an insult or appear to be cheapskate-offer. 

The caveat with all this is Kaprizov's NMC. If he doesn't sign and goes on the trade market, any return will be peanuts. If he plays out the season and then walks, it should be the beginning of the end for Guerin's tenure. If he is going to take a lowball offer, it would probably be with a team that is closer to winning a cup than the Wild (and yes, the Wild are not there yet). But with what went down with Rantanen fresh on everyone's mind, I believe a deal gets done in the $15M-$16M range, although part of me feels Kap is pretty level-headed, and likes being a big fish in a small pond with a passionate fan base, and comes in matching Draisaitl's number...

[bisopher]

He gets 8 X $15MM. It will be the biggest contract in NHL history, only until Marner or someone else surpasses it.  Just like Kirby Puckett in the late 80s, he was the highest paid player in MLB, but only until the next $$$ contract was signed.

[Beast]

Obviously, they’re going to do it.  And they should.  It would be a PR nightmare if they don’t.

I do have some concerns, though.  

Can he stay healthy?  I’m not overly concerned, but he does miss time.

Geurin hasn’t found a way to build a team around him at a much lower cap number.  The buyouts coming off the books will be replaced by his astronomical cap number.   Can they ever truly compete for a Cup?  (This is more of an indictment on Geurin than Kaprisov, but still a question).

Again, I’m certainly not advocating letting him go.  But I think the conversation is more nuanced than just making him the highest paid NHLer no questions asked.

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Beast

[Sam]

I’m glad Guerin and Co. see the importance of keeping Kap. I think he works well with Boldy, but needs a true 1C. I sure hope we make a big move this offseason.

[Will D. Ness]

Why do we watch Minnesota Wild hockey?  

To those who think the purpose of watching Wild hockey is to bitch and moan and gripe about shit:

Strongly disagree about paying KK97 top tier money.  Therefore, the catalyst for bitching and moaning will continue for years to come.  

Now if the purpose of watching the Wild is to nitpick GM decision making:

Let's dive into minutia and use a half-assed armchair methodology in analyzing the value of KK97.  Maybe pull out some highly flawed BS stat and tout it like it is the litmus test of all hockey skill?  Then we can get in a debate about overpaying KK97 by 0.01% and therefore screwing the future of this horribly managed team and come full circle and call it an albatross signing of an aging vet.

Me personally, I think we should overpay a little.  If there is anyone on this team that deserves 1M more and 1Y more, it's KK97.  Make him the highest paid player in the league this offseason.  I don't think he needs this somewhat vain motivation or anything, but it would make a statement.  

[Burnt Toast]

What is happening, most likely, July 1st+ might be remembered as “The Perfect Storm”. I’m not sure how much credit is deserved for advanced planning by KK’s agent or if the timing of the incoming Mega Contract is luck…. Cap rises at record pace, Kap’s contract is up for resigning, MN’s Cap Buyouts off the books, Wild owner communicates “Blank Check” policy, GM clears the books with room to spare. Reads like a player agent’s dream scenario. At the center of the storm is the player. Kaprizov is 28, usually considered prime age in the NHL. Elevates players around him, hard worker, strong, highly skilled, extremely exciting to watch and sure seems loved by his teammates. Toni asked a question “Can?…..” Absolutely. Will he? I think it’s a well placed bet. Next season KK will be making $9M AAV. After that he will be evaluated year by year. If KK resigns,  his success will be interwoven with how far he can take the Wild towards an NHL championship.