The Kirill Kaprizov Rumor Mill Is Here To Stay

Does putting Zucc on the top line have anything to do with keeping Kap happy? Guess all we can do is speculate...

What was your favorite KK moment?

15 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

Does putting Zucc on the top line have anything to do with keeping Kap happy? Guess all we can do is speculate...

BG said they want more points out of Zuck and that's where he's performed the best. But, I think everyone has performed at their best when on a line with KK...So there's that.

Please do not hand the mic to the chicken little contingent.

What I meant to say….. No you wrote exactly what you wanted and got the response you wanted. Fine if that’s the world you live in I get it, but don’t insult my intelligence with your lame backtracking.

If Boldy can put up 50/50, I see the best case scenario for him to do this is with Kaprizov on his other wing and Ek in the middle. All 3 should have banner years and that would be where you keep it.

This Hartman/Zuccarello to the top line crap needs to stop right now. It they have a dominant 1st line with Boldy and Ek, that is reason #1 for Kaprizov to resign. That line can compete against any other top line.

Then, finding a decent line #2 will be next.

I think a Foligno-Dinorat-Trenin line 3 could be very good in that shutdown role. A 4th line with Lauko on the wing could also be formidable. Hmmm, there is no Freddy or Johansson mentioned here, they might be Lauko's linemates....or might be in Des Moines. 

That 2nd line probably has Rossi centering with Ohgren on the wing. Could Zuccarello find a home there? Well, both Rossi and Ogie are also good defensively and can help mask his liability there. But, is there chemistry? Or would a better 3rd line be Ogie-Dinorat-Foligno and move Trenin up to line 2?

I think we are very close to cutting bait with the Gaudreau/Johansson/Merrill placeholders. Merrill looks too slow and deliberate to be playing. However, if you need a 7 for the prossbox, Merrill is better suited there as then Hunt and Lambos can play minutes in the A. Any significant injury gets Hunt called up to play. I'm assuming he is still waivers exempt.

Reuniting the Kaprizov-Zuccarello-Hartman line. Is that throwing up a white flag saying , is leaving and is going to be traded? 

What I'm saying here is if this is already determined in Kaprizov's mind, we have to find another top line. This line would essentially be playing out the string. If it were Chicago, and I'm not excited about this at all, what type of compensation should we expect from the Blackhawks if we deal him this year?

I'd start out with the next 2 1st rounders unprotected. But there will need to be a prospect (a 1st tier prospect) and a rostered player (not some slug) involved. Who could those be?

Could Martin Mysiak be a possible target? Or Artyem Levshunov? That might take out one of the 1sts here. Could we raid the Blackhawks' rebuild picks? And then there is also unsigned Oliver Moore. Could we build a contender around some of these guys?

Here's the thing, if Kaprizov isn't going to stay, it is up to Shooter to get the best possible deal for him. Remember, the key here is to build a contender and while I'd hate to see Kaprizov go, the sun still comes up tomorrow and we still need to figure out a way to be a true contender. We've got a bunch of very young, good pieces. Tapping into other players drafted in the '20-'23 drafts could lead to a great core of players from these drafts. My research says this is the best way to build a dynasty (3 significant players from 2/3 drafts close to each other). This could be more than that.

Billy can pull this off  free agency 3 brocks.heic

1 minute ago, Dango said:

Billy can pull this off  free agency 3 brocks.heic

3 brocks.heic

After last night, I don't think Ohgren should be any further up the lineup than the 4th line.

I'd go with:

1 Kaprizov / Ek / Boldy

2 Zuccarello / Rossi / Hartman (still think Rossi would do better as a wing and would flip him and Hartman for a few games to explore the option)

3 Foligno / Khusnutdinov / Trenin

4 Ohgren / Gaudreau / Lauko

Unless Johansson shows me something more, I'd start him in Iowa and keep Boyd up here as the 13th forward

I think Kaprizov and Zuccarello on the same line is a net negative for the team.  I think it reduces Kaprizov's effectiveness more than you gain for Zuccarello.  I think it also reduces Boldy's effectiveness a bit too.  Spreading Kaprizov / Ek / Boldy across other lines doesn't gain us as much as it loses us.  It would be better to see what that line and the rest of the lines can do with a healthy defense behind them rather than 1/3 or more of the team out injured.

If it's about money, the Wild will throw any price, even if it is wholly unreasonable.

If it is winning, we'll, no shit.  Only half the NHL can be playoff bound per season.

The main thing is location.  I have never gotten the sense Kaprizov is a "me first" bright lights kinda guy.  Gaborik was, Fiala sure as shit was, but Kaprizov probably doesn't care about that stardom BS.  I think location comes down to weather and comfort.

So we won't really know until next season.

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

If it's about money, the Wild will throw any price, even if it is wholly unreasonable.

If it is winning, we'll, no shit.  Only half the NHL can be playoff bound per season.

The main thing is location.  I have never gotten the sense Kaprizov is a "me first" bright lights kinda guy.  Gaborik was, Fiala sure as shit was, but Kaprizov probably doesn't care about that stardom BS.  I think location comes down to weather and comfort.

So we won't really know until next season.

 

 

Really do not believe it's about the money with Kaprizov. It was reported he lived quite modestly in Russia with a few of his KHL buddies even though he was rich compared to them. Now I understand he has a serious girlfriend who is also rich so that will influence much of his thinking. Is she money driven or does she like the palm trees warm weather and money.  Maybe she wants him to win the Cup and go back to Russia ASAP? 

Players can price themselves out of the playoffs.  Case in point:  Cousins and the Vikings.  They are better without him.  If a team is willing to pay him top 5 dollars it doesn't leave much to sign people next to him no matter where he lives.  As a GM, you have to let these guys walk...including Kirill if he demands more than his value.  Personally I think Kirill's top priority is a cup, probably why he signed for only $9M/year right now.  BG has to prove that he can win with a full cap available to him.  He does that and I think we dramatically increase our ability to sign Kirill at a manageable AAV.  

The Ek contract is amazing and getting better each year.

i think he leaves. It would be silly to think that Wild's vision matches Kirill's or that there's been enough progress to impress him. we are no closer to having a championship caliber team now than when he got here. still bunch of hopes and aging geezers on "friendly" contracts. 

he'll play out his contract with his buddy on the same line and then dictate where he'll end up or he gets traded sooner. and oh joy we have the dumbest GM in the league to handle this - 

here are the trades that i think are going to be considered by our genius - 

• Trade to NJ for package surrounding Timo Meier
• Trade to Vegas to Tomas Hertl
• Trade to Wash for TJ Oshie and some prospect (this one is only on the table this year to give Kap and Ovi a chance to win a cup together)
• Trade to Vancouver for Boeser 
• Trade to NY for their overhyped ex number 1 picks kakko or something

summary - any trade is crap when you are talking about trading away a top 5 player. and the above is 💩 that i am thinking we are going to get stuck with due to the moron that we have in charge. 

Chicago is like 4-5 years away from contending. They don't have much of a core right now. They brought in Hossa after they were already good.

Does Florida have great weather when it isn't winter? They have hot, humid weather, and hurricanes in the summer/fall.

Nice backpedal by the writer that was clearly looking to get attention later essentially saying that his story was a bunch of nothing.

Nothing credible. No need to discuss until next season.

27 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

Personally I think Kirill's top priority is a cup, probably why he signed for only $9M/year right now.

Kirill is signed for $9M right now because Guerin had a necessity to have him signed through the 25-26 season while keeping the cap number from being so high that he couldn't field a team.  $9M per season was a fair deal at the time and adding more years would have required an additional $12M+ per season(understanding that the cap would be escalating in the out years), which would have rapidly escalated the AAV and hamstrung the Wild even more in the first 4 years of the buy-outs.

Kirill's agent wanted more money, Guerin wanted more term at a price the Wild could afford, and they met in the middle at 5 years and $45M.

Guerin had to have him get to the year after the buy-outs fell off in order to give himself a chance to sign him again. It made sense for both sides.

I just heard a rumor that Kap might go back to play in the KHL because he misses home.

/sarcastic 

57 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Guerin had to have him get to the year after the buy-outs fell off in order to give himself a chance to sign him again. It made sense for both sides.

Sounds like you think Kirill will be leaving or the Wild will need to pay top 5 dollar value to keep him.

1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

Sounds like you think Kirill will be leaving or the Wild will need to pay top 5 dollar value to keep him.

I don't think he's leaving. I think he sees what's coming and is pretty excited about the potential there. I think he'll want to get paid fairly, but more importantly he wants to win. I don't believe he will make the mistake of signing longterm with a team that is currently on the top. I think he'll want to sign with a team that is about to make a run for it. Why not us? 

He gets to play in a middle market that acts like a big market. He still gets to have his privacy since rural MN is close by. He gets to not have to be hounded by press and paparazzi, something I think he values. And, he gets to be on a roster that will be quickly changing over to the new guard and lead them. 

Buffalo is also in this same position. I would think he'd rather be in MN, but that's probably just me. Detroit is also in a similar position, and he might look at that as Datsyuk's home and want to play there. 

Or, he could make a lot of money being a hockey mercenary. Sign 1-2 year deals with trade protection for high dollar and then pick another contender when that's done. If he decides to go this route, we're screwed because for him to be traded for the assets we expect, a longterm deal must be ready to be signed. 

9 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I don't think he's leaving. I think he sees what's coming and is pretty excited about the potential there. I think he'll want to get paid fairly, but more importantly he wants to win. I don't believe he will make the mistake of signing longterm with a team that is currently on the top. I think he'll want to sign with a team that is about to make a run for it. Why not us? 

He gets to play in a middle market that acts like a big market. He still gets to have his privacy since rural MN is close by. He gets to not have to be hounded by press and paparazzi, something I think he values. And, he gets to be on a roster that will be quickly changing over to the new guard and lead them. 

Buffalo is also in this same position. I would think he'd rather be in MN, but that's probably just me. Detroit is also in a similar position, and he might look at that as Datsyuk's home and want to play there. 

Or, he could make a lot of money being a hockey mercenary. Sign 1-2 year deals with trade protection for high dollar and then pick another contender when that's done. If he decides to go this route, we're screwed because for him to be traded for the assets we expect, a longterm deal must be ready to be signed. 

Kaprizov is very mature and does not share a lot so it is hard to know what exactly he is looking for. By listening multiple interviews/podcasts with him I got a feeling that :

1. He is very interested in personal stats - means he has to play with Ek and Boldy

2. Location will be very important. Florida has a lot of Russian players as well as other Russian “celebrities “ like tennis players and so

3. winning is the third because it is not realistic for Wild start suddenly being Stanley Cup contender, Wild way down the road. So saying that he is mature why bother with this now

the only thing can go in favor of Wild singing  Kaprizov is that BG situation. I mean he bet on veterans (his signings we talked a lot).  BUT if it will not be working (or even partially working like being bubble team again somewhere around December) to save HIS job he would need to look to bing in young and exciting talent, maybe via some trades on internally. Saying that next your will be better i don’t think will much. I think she should be doing this otherwise I don’t see why Leopold will be patient with him. And if this happened and if he will be able to add something interesting I guess this may generate Kaprisov interest and attention 

9 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I'd start out with the next 2 1st rounders unprotected. But there will need to be a prospect (a 1st tier prospect) and a rostered player (not some slug) involved. 

The caveat here is Kap having a NMC for the remainder of his contract, which will limit the return if he decides to move on.

To come even close to 2 firsts, a player, and a top prospect, Kap would have to let Guerin know his intentions, and which team he would like to join, and then be moved at the trade deadline this season. If he remains with the Wild after the trade deadline, Guerin loses what little leverage that remains....

Guerin is the one who should have been trading players, prospects, and picks the last few years to acquire a player or two that Kap was willing to make an upcoming cup run with....

14 hours ago, Lern2spell said:

Guerin is the one who should have been trading players, prospects, and picks the last few years to acquire a player or two that Kap was willing to make an upcoming cup run with....

I agree this will probably happen, but until the recapture penalties (mostly) come off at the end of this season, there hasn't really been a lot of cap bandwidth to do that with.

Even trading out a lot of the veterans, you have to find teams willing to take on those contracts which means you have to give up even more to get them to take them.

It also means that you give up more players, more of your better prospects, and higher picks in those trades (presumably for better players that will cost more), leaving you with open roster spots that are being filled with a bunch of prospects/AHL players that do not belong in the NHL full-time. 

Other teams aren't going to give away those players for free and the teams that are going to put more value in prospects or picks are going to be teams that are at the bottom of the league or are cash-strapped enough that they don't want to lose a player for nothing - and in the second scenario you need a 3rd team to absorb contracts to create cap space on the Wild. 

You also leave the Wild with less coming up because we had to give up a disproportionate amount of picks and prospects to make the deal happen, so not only do you have less on the way, but you are entirely reliant on that working out and that it makes Kaprizov want to sign long term even though you probably set yourself back two years and made you more dependent on free agency in the coming years if the few higher prospects you have take longer or don't hit the mark you hope they hit.

No.

So yeah, while I agree that there will likely be a trade with some combination of a player, pick(s), and prospect(s) in the next year, I don't see this happening before the next offseason.  We have enough assets that we can do one once we aren't being bent often backwards by the salary cap and have less working against us to overcome.

Doing this over the last few years would have knocked us back into the hole Fletcher dug for us.

2 hours ago, raithis said:

Doing this over the last few years would have knocked us back into the hole Fletcher dug for us.

Kaprizov not re-signing will immediately set them back in the same hole.

There were two ways to manage the three years of cap hell created by the buy-outs:

1)  Sign some skilled players Kap would be willing to make a run with in 2025-26 and beyond, play a bunch of kids on ELC'S, and let some veterans walk when their contracts were up. Results would probably be missing the playoffs (missed playoffs anyways last year).

2) Try and field a team that can compete for the playoffs during the cap recapture years, and hoping it is enough for Kap to want to stick around. This is what Guerin did by re-signing some vets, hoping for a resurge in secondary scoring this year. 1st year of cap hell, they made the playoffs. Last year they did not, putting a spotlight on how crucial this year is for the immediate future. The Wild have drafted pretty well, and may have some very nice pieces to put in place in the next couple of years, but nobody (including Kaprizov) knows how that will work out. 

My point was simply that option 1 would have at least increased the chances Kaprizov would re-sign.

Either way, not having 97 in two years would put the Wild back in a hole...