Article: A Kaprizov Exit Would Signal Minnesota Isn't A Destination For Big-Name Players

[MNCountryLife]

Simplification...I think Kirill will sign soon.   Just ironing out a few small details. 

[MNCountryLife]

10 hours ago, Scalptrash said:

The Wild has never been a destination for the leagues better players. The only big names they have ever acquired are usually older and their careers are sloping downward

Very true.   You would think we would learn from that.   If you can't build a top heavy team, the team must change the board.   Start building a really deep team... or a really big physical team to impose their will in the playoffs.   Anything different that you can do.   Our GM must think differently if this is true. 

[goenzoy]

On 9/12/2025 at 9:18 PM, SkolWild73 said:

Pretty simple to me, they started winning

This is a far too simply explanation .

Florida is clearly a much nicer place to live and also the tax situation plays a role.

And in Kaprisov situation it is a similar set-up.

He is 20+ old signing the most important contract of his life 

So NO rush to sign anything now .

At least he needs to run around with open ears.

Wild are not the only team willing to spend 100 million + for Kaprisov 

Wild just underpaid Rossi and also Erik Karlsson signed a Jumbo contract to achieve NOTHING.

So Kaprisov need to have some thoughts when deciding not JUST return from Russia

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Quote

Wild fans always want to hear more about Zeev Buium after seeing him play four games in the last postseason, and the talent he has. That talent was on display once again in the showcase, and it was easy to tell when he was on the ice. He sped up and down, took chances mainly offensively, and they paid off as he scored a goal.  -- The Hockey Writers, regarding the first game of the prospect showcase.

Quote

Benák’s name was mentioned all night, and the announcers were consistently saying what a bright spot he was since the drop of the first puck, and he ended with three assists. Haight and Heidt worked well together on the same line and also had some strong chances, with Haight setting up one of the Wild’s goals with an impressive pass. 

Wild lost 6-4 to the Blue after getting down late, tying it up for the 3rd period, then giving up a couple goals in the final 2 minutes.

Edited Sunday at 12:35 PM by Imyourhuckleberry

[greg]

Doubling Kirils salary from the 9 million this year to the roughly 18 million it may take does not make the team better unless you are able to add talent around him.  I hope the sign him 

[MNCountryLife]

2 minutes ago, greg said:

Doubling Kirils salary from the 9 million this year to the roughly 18 million it may take does not make the team better unless you are able to add talent around him.  I hope the sign him 

Exactly.... and while I want Kirill signed.... not at $18m... we will be in purgatory at that amount. 

[mnfaninnc]

20 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Cutting Stall after a great season was pure bonehead by bill.  Most legit #1 C in team history but bill wanted to remake the team with his fingerprints all over it.  Genius.

I disagree. I saw it in the Vancouver series. Staal could no longer keep up in a top 6 role. He had points but as a center, he was about done. Guerin saw that both Koivu and Staal had slowed down to a point that the cliff was very near. And, Guerin had no replacement for either player. 

Ek started the season as #1C but was not ready for the challenge and Hartsy had to take over, and he shined. We knew we were weak down the middle, and had to wings playing C, Hartman and Gaudreau. Even Johansson had a run which was disastrous.  I cannot remember if Victor Rask was still there, but he might have been.

But, let's take a look at the rest of Staal's career. Guerin was absolutely right. Staal bombed out in Buffalo. He then went to Montreal where he performed as the 4th C with Corey Perry on his wing and Price dragged the team to the SCF. Staal was out of the league the following year but played tried to play in the Olympics. Then he got a 4th line role with Florida on their first attempt at the Stanley Cup. 

Staal and Koivu should have come into that playoff season refreshed. They didn't. They looked old and slow. While Guerin was right about both players, the replacements he got weren't good either. We simply had a black hole in that area coupled with the buyouts. Yet, the team of misfits were scrappy enough to make the playoffs!

 

[mnfaninnc]

11 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Very true.   You would think we would learn from that.   If you can't build a top heavy team, the team must change the board.   Start building a really deep team... or a really big physical team to impose their will in the playoffs.   Anything different that you can do.   Our GM must think differently if this is true. 

I get that Edmonton and Toronto are top heavy, but what would make the Wild top heavy? It takes 3-4 players with huge contracts to be top heavy. Kaprizov, alone, would not do this. I agree with building a big, physical team, but with the longterm pieces we already have in place, having 1 superstar making a bunch of money isn't going to make us top heavy. 

In a few years, if this crop of rookies pans out, we may, indeed, then be top heavy. But if the cap keeps going up aggressively, we could be more average. One thing is certain, the rookies coming in on ELCs has got to get adjusted, they are at an extreme value. Now that Canadian Jrs. can go to US college hockey, I think the ELC is getting a little delayed. 

Now, on this, there are also some rules that need tweaking. For instance, let's say a guy gets drafted in, say, the 3rd round, or even the 1st. He heads to college hockey for his d+2 year, and finishes out college but doesn't want to sign with the team he was drafted by. Does he just, then, get to walk into free agency? 

Previously, Canadian Jrs. players signed and went to develop in the A. Did the young players just find a loophole to get away from having to play in Buffalo? Or, maybe they go to Buffalo to get an NHL salary instead of an AHL salary to start out like McBain did? 

[1Brotherbill]

On 9/13/2025 at 10:30 AM, mnfaninnc said:

One way you could plan for this is by running the kids out there and prioritizing their development. I think these kids are going to be really good, but as I said above, results lag. Get a couple in the '20-23 drafts that you like + draft picks for Kaprizov and build a really deep, 200' team that can score on 3 lines with a 4th shutdown line. Our D depth is still pretty good.

That would mean, any top draft picks, who should be here earlier in their careers would have competent young players to play with. That could be special.

Let's take a look at this team and where it could go.  With or without Kirill you have a few average players that will want to get paid because the team is going to be regular season successful.  The next time Rossi comes up for a contract they  either have to pay him 6.250 million for one year or pay him in the 8 to 9 million range.  I don't know if that is worth the money.  Ohgren, Yurov, Boldy, Buium, Wallstedt.  All these guys are going to want money.  And honestly I don't think they are going to be worth the money.  If you have people in that group that have names like Cellibrini, Mesa, Mckena etc. then you can say yes they are worth the money.  The Wild have good players but they don't have corner stone great players. 

[MNCountryLife]

8 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

but what would make the Wild top heavy

Well, there is no specific definition for top heavy.   So certainly up for interpretation.   But If you have 1 of the 2 highest paid players in the league,  you are likely in that definition.. IMHO. 

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

Let's take a look at this team and where it could go.  With or without Kirill you have a few average players that will want to get paid because the team is going to be regular season successful.  The next time Rossi comes up for a contract they  either have to pay him 6.250 million for one year or pay him in the 8 to 9 million range.  I don't know if that is worth the money.  Ohgren, Yurov, Boldy, Buium, Wallstedt.  All these guys are going to want money.  And honestly I don't think they are going to be worth the money.  If you have people in that group that have names like Cellibrini, Mesa, Mckena etc. then you can say yes they are worth the money.  The Wild have good players but they don't have corner stone great players.

Getting paid is an interesting thing here. Yes, your list is going to want a raise, but they've got to produce to get one. Rossi has 1 60 pt. season. If under the next 3 years, 60 is his floor, then he'll get paid. The same thing goes for the rookies of this year. Produce and get paid after your bridge deal. 

It's not the names, it's what they can produce and not only points. This team has got to be a collective 200' team. So putting up points also needs to have defensive responsibility.

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Well, there is no specific definition for top heavy.   So certainly up for interpretation.   But If you have 1 of the 2 highest paid players in the league,  you are likely in that definition.. IMHO.

Who would be our 2nd guy, then?

[MNCountryLife]

3 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

17 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Well, there is no specific definition for top heavy.   So certainly up for interpretation.   But If you have 1 of the 2 highest paid players in the league,  you are likely in that definition.. IMHO.

Who would be our 2nd guy, then?

I think you gave me a todo list... 😀!  Well, here is what I came up with.

Below is currect Puckpedia numbers with 1 exception.  I put Kirill at $16M/AAV.  I did not adjust McDavid's or anyone else's.

Our current 2nd highest paid player is Faber.  Below is a chart of the top teams salaries ranked by the top 2 players first.  I included the top 3 and 4 highest paid columns as well just because I thought it was interesting.  

Teams               2 highest    3 highest     4 highest
Oilers                $26.5M        $37M        $46.25M
Maple Leafs    $24.75        $32.5M        $40M
Wild                  $24.5M        $32.075M    $39.075M
Rangers           $23.142        $32.642        $41.142M
Golden Knights $22M        $31.5M        $40.3M
Stars                $21.85        $30.3M        $38.75M
Avalanche       $21.6        $29.35        $36.6M
Bruins              $20.75        $29        $36.75    
Panthers         $20M        $29.5M        $38.125M
Canucks         $19.45        $26.7M        $33.95M
Sabres            $19.35        $27.3M        $34.442M
Lightning       $19M        $28.5M        $37.5M
Kings             $18.785M    $25.785        $32.035
Penguins       $18.7M        $24.8M        $30.9M
Capitals         $18.5M        $27M        $35M
Sharks           $18.5M        $25M        $31M
Hurricanes    $18.25M        $26M        $33.5M
Canadiens    $18.2M        $25.985M    $33.835M
Blue Jackets $18.083M    $24.333M    $29.833M
Devils             $17.8M        $25.8M        $33.675M
Predators      $17.559M    $25.559M    $33.299M
Flames           $17.5M        $24M        $30.25M
Islanders        $17.4        $25.65        $32.65M
Red Wings     $17.25        $25.325        $33.2M
Jets                 $17        $24.5M        $31.642M
Senators         $16.6M        $24.805M    $32.855M
Flyers              $16.53        $22.78M        $29.03M
Blues              $16.25        $24.25        $30.75M
Mammoth     $16.2M        $23.35M        $30.492M
Ducks            $15M        $22M        $28.5M
Kraken           $14.492        $21.634M    $27.884M
Blackhawks  $13.357M    $18.857M    $24.257M
 

[mnfaninnc]

2 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Below is currect Puckpedia numbers with 1 exception.  I put Kirill at $16M/AAV.  I did not adjust McDavid's or anyone else's.

This would sort of be a comparison for next year. Wouldn't some of the unsigned players affect that list. There's more than McDavid out there unsigned. 

So as things stand for this year, we're at about $17.5m?

I imagine that this will look far different in a couple of years. Nice job MNCL

[MNCountryLife]

14 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

This would sort of be a comparison for next year. Wouldn't some of the unsigned players affect that list. There's more than McDavid out there unsigned. 

So as things stand for this year, we're at about $17.5m?

I imagine that this will look far different in a couple of years. Nice job MNCL

Correct.  It is skewed for the Wild.  Our actual line for 25-26 would read

Wild   $17.5M   $25.075    32.075

Which puts us squarely in the "Depth" style of roster instead of of top heavy.  We would be in position 22 rather than 3.   Who knows where we will be next season.

[MacGyver]

On 9/14/2025 at 4:50 AM, goenzoy said:

Wild are not the only team willing to spend 100 million + for Kaprisov 

Pure speculation, we don't know this. I'd be interested in seeing what other teams would offer. He is not McDavid though to the fandom here he is. Honestly I think we are so frightened to lose him we over value him. He hasn't played an entire 82 game season yet and it seems every year his absences are longer. So we sign him at $18M which I think would be a grave mistake. How's everybody going to feel when he misses his first three games, then by the end of the year he has played only sixty games.  I really question his durability and my guess is other teams are going to look closely before over paying. 

I read the rumor that the Rangers have perhaps shown interest. Panarin and Shesterkin are good friends with Kaprizov. I believe they all have the same agent as well. 

[NoJoSux]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

Pure speculation, we don't know this. I'd be interested in seeing what other teams would offer. He is not McDavid though to the fandom here he is. Honestly I think we are so frightened to lose him we over value him. He hasn't played an entire 82 game season yet and it seems every year his absences are longer. So we sign him at $18M which I think would be a grave mistake. How's everybody going to feel when he misses his first three games, then by the end of the year he has played only sixty games.  I really question his durability and my guess is other teams are going to look closely before over paying. 

I read the rumor that the Rangers have perhaps shown interest. Panarin and Shesterkin are good friends with Kaprizov. I believe they all have the same agent as well. 

With NYR, who do they have to offer that would be worth trading for Kaprizov? 

Not Zibanejad, or Panarin, especially of Panarin wants to play with KK. 

Perreault, maybe but MN shoulda just drafted him then. Don't ya think? 

I'm not big on Lafrenierre, or Cuylle much either.  

[MacGyver]

Lafrenierre is who was mentioned as the roster player going to the Wild with two first round picks. But that was just more speculation. Fact is if that's where Kaprizov wants to go and we don't know that neither isn't Billy going to have to take what he gets? Every day that goes by without a signing things get wound a little tighter. You don't want to go into camp much less the regular season with this big of a distraction. 

Also if Kaprizov takes less to go somewhere else that's the kind of humiliation that can kill an entire franchise. Who would ever come here if they had a choice after that. I have said on this board before that Billy is most likely as controversial among players, coaches and GM's in the league as he is here. 

[goenzoy]

3 hours ago, MacGyver said:

I really question his durability and my guess is other teams are going to look closely before over paying. 

I read the rumor that the Rangers have perhaps shown interest. Panarin and Shesterkin are good friends with Kaprizov. I believe they all have the same agent as well. 

But the same is the case for Tarasenko .

He is even coming to Wild on recommendation  of Kaprisov 

[Willy the poor boy]

12 hours ago, NoJoSux said:

With NYR, who do they have to offer that would be worth trading for Kaprizov? 

Not Zibanejad, or Panarin, especially of Panarin wants to play with KK. 

Perreault, maybe but MN shoulda just drafted him then. Don't ya think? 

I'm not big on Lafrenierre, or Cuylle much either.  

Excellent spelling job...

[SkolWild73]

On 9/14/2025 at 4:50 AM, goenzoy said:

Florida is clearly a much nicer place to live and also the tax situation plays a role.

The taxes and weather have been the same since 96, and they didn't start winning until a few years ago.  Winning and culture go a long way.

[goenzoy]

1 hour ago, SkolWild73 said:

The taxes and weather have been the same since 96, and they didn't start winning until a few years ago.  Winning and culture go a long way.

Certainly all true but what did change since 1996 are salary and signing bonuses 

[SkolWild73]

1 hour ago, goenzoy said:

Certainly all true but what did change since 1996 are salary and signing bonuses 

Yes, in 2005…

[MacGyver]

On 9/15/2025 at 9:10 PM, goenzoy said:

But the same is the case for Tarasenko .

He is even coming to Wild on recommendation  of Kaprisov 

I think the Kaprizov/Tarasenko situation is over blown. I don't think Kaprizov begged him or or overly enticed him to come here. It was most likely a more casual conversation. No way is Kaprisov going to tell Tarasenko or anyone else not to come here because this team is going nowhere and he plans to bail. Imagine if that came out openly to the public! Kaprisov is not going to risk that. I don't see Tarasenko moving the needle very much for this team. He is most certainly not the player he once was. 

[goenzoy]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

don't see Tarasenko moving the needle very much for this team. He is most certainly not the player he once was. 

Certainly true that Tarasenko passed his peak but still I do think he is able to score 20 in a normal season and even 30 with a bit of lucky streak .He is not a game changer but both Rossi and Yurov are talented enough to complement Tarasenko .

And maybe he can be even linemate with KK from time to time