By Chris Schad -
When the Minnesota Wild held a press conference to announce Kirill Kaprizov’s new contract, the Russian superstar was grinning from ear to ear. But if there were a close second for the happiest man in the room, it would be Wild general manager Bill Guerin.
Guerin walked into the press conference looking like the guy who just nailed his fantasy hockey draft. When Kaprizov was asked whether he was excited about his new contract, Guerin replied, “He f---ingg better be.” Odds are, when the press conference was over, he was greeted by some in the room with nicknames like “Big Dog” and “Chief.”
And why not? Guerin had just navigated an impasse and tampering rumors to keep the Wild’s main attraction in Minnesota for the next eight years. The price was $136 million, but it was worth the cost to avoid the weight of Kaprizov’s negotiations hovering over the team this season.
With that, Guerin may have had a celebratory moment. But in reality, it’s already time to get back to work because the pressure on him may be even greater now that Kaprizov has signed his contract.
Let’s get back to that price. The Wild gave Kaprizov an annual average value of $17 million in his new contract. While the price is staggering, it’s slightly more than the $14.7 million cap penalty the Wild were dealing with during the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts. Having that money go toward an elite player opens things up to add other players. With the salary cap increasing over the next three years, $17 million could be on the back end of what teams are paying elite-tier players by the time Kaprizov heads into his 30s.
Those are all things that Guerin can take credit for after extending Kaprizov. But the pressure comes with what happens next.
The Wild are still a team that hasn’t gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since the 2014-15 season. While some may argue they were a Gustav Nyquist offside penalty away from ending that drought last spring, they still appear to be a wild-card team that needs some things to go their way for a deep playoff run.
The questions are quite similar to Wild fans. Will Ryan Hartman’s good behavior continue? Is Jonas Brodin’s lower-body injury less severe than we all feared? Can guys like Marcus Foligno and Jared Spurgeon hold off Father Time? And can Matt Boldy make the jump from an All-Star caliber player to an elite/franchise one?
These are storylines that will play out throughout the upcoming season. But then there are bigger ones that fall into the context of Guerin’s five-year plan to win a Stanley Cup.
Can Liam Öhgren take advantage of a top-six opportunity now that Mats Zuccarello will miss the first two months with a lower-body injury? Will Zeev Buium make the same leap that Brock Faber did in his first full season in the NHL? Are guys like Liam Öhgren, Danila Yurov, and David Jiricek long-term pieces or trade fodder? And can Jesper Wallstedt recover from a rough season in Iowa to take a step toward becoming an NHL goaltender?
Also consider Marco Rossi's pending status. He signed a three-year, $15 million contract, but will be playing for his next one. Some of the Wild’s young players are also coming toward the back end of entry-level contracts, which will take more of the cap space that Guerin is gaining over the next three years.
If this were a team that had made a deep run or established some of these young players, there would be reason to be optimistic. But with a $17 million contract on the books, Guerin can’t afford to miss much if he wants his plan to come to fruition.
That could mean a quick trigger on a young player that leads to the blockbuster deal at the trade deadline the Wild couldn’t pull off in recent years. It also means that Guerin and head coach John Hynes may have to get out of their comfort zones, playing young players instead of investing in the 30-year-olds they’ve targeted in free agency the past few seasons.
Kaprizov is dealing with his own pressure from the new deal, meaning his Hart Trophy-caliber play at the beginning of the season has now become the standard he must maintain. However, Guerin knows that he must make the right moves to contend after extending Kaprizov.
You could say this is no different than any GM knowing how hair triggers are the weapon of choice for NHL owners. But while Guerin has made some great moves during his tenure, it’s his misfires that have left the Wild in the NHL’s middle class.
If he can do that, his five-year plan could be more than just a dream. But Kaprizov’s contract adds another layer of pressure to get the job done.
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