By Giles Ferrell -
Today, CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) announced that they have agreed to a new three-year extension with Minnesota Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov. The forward had a year remaining on his contract after being acquired by CSKA from Salavet Yulaev.
The 2015 fifth-round pick was supposedly interested in coming over to the United States after his contract ran out after 2017-18, but apparently had a change of heart and will stay on with the KHL's most prolific franchise. Kaprizov has become one of the most highly-touted prospects in the NHL since being drafted, but his uncertainty to come play in the United States is what caused him to fall into the fifth round.
Read: Ferrell: After Kaprizov, Wild Prospect Cupboard Is Running Thin
While the news is crushing to the Wild and their fans, the forward is still under team control and can choose to come over and play any time he chooses. The extension will now take him through the 2020-21 season. It had been reported, but never confirmed, last month that a three-year extension was agreed upon, but up until two days ago, the player himself had denied the reports and the team never confirmed it until this afternoon.
Read: Remington: Why Kaprizov Staying In Russia Stinks, But Not As Much As You Think
Without Kaprizov, the Wild will rely heavily on top prospects Joel Eriksson-Ek and Luke Kunin to be their future. Eriksson-Ek is expected to start next season with Minnesota while Kunin will more than likely begin -- and play a good portion of the season -- in Iowa.
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