Speculation: Russo on the status of Kaprizov’s contract negotiations

[TS Quint]

They are negotiating in bad faith. They isssue ultimatums and unscrupulously expoit kaprizov's weak negotiation position.

Have they? I didn’t see that.

 

[AKL]

I don't know man... the minute you talk about something other than the 5 year rumored deal, your alert notification lights up! .

Usually, when longer deals fall through, the bridge deal is plan B. That's not some wild idea coming out of nowhere.

Yes, plan B, for plan Bad. As in, not the first option, not the good option.

And it's more likely plan C at this point, because letting him sit out of the NHL for an entire season and then trying again next season is still a better option for the Wild.

Might even be plan D by now because trading his rights to a team that is better equipped to give him what he wants is a better option.

So just so we're clear, not a good option.

 

[heisenbergsitti]

We don't always agree but on this one... I agree with you. BG would have known earlier if Kaprizov didn't want to sign long term. It don't take months to find that out. The dots don't really connect to me when we dig into the context that is available.

Didn't know kaprizov is only restricted free agent not signed. Go look up his agent. He's doing same crap Marner's agent did, and he has a reputation

 

[Dickie Dunn]

He's "Almost never wrong" . There the little crack in the door.

I'm not getting any more defensive than you or others are. You should drop that narrative. There is a chance Russo is a bit off on his rumor and trying to block others from talking about other ideas or deals is nonsense. Take a step back and rethink it.

How about you rename the thread to this... Only comment in this thread if you believe Russo's rumor is 100% true.

Given he has been covering the NHL for over 25 years, there is zero reason to believe that his information is wrong. There have been times where his opinions have bothered Wild fans but his information, particularly what he is willing to report, is good. Your narrative would need him to be wildly (pun intended) wrong on this. That is unlikely.

 

[TS Quint]

Da fuq are you talking about. In my version, the reported version, the Wild have offered him 8 and 5 years at somewhere between $8 and $10 million a year. In your version, the party backing up the Brinks truck to unload it on Kaprizov is somehow not playing fair. Is that what you are going with?

Please show me where I said the Wild should back up the Brinks truck. Is this what your 30 years of negotiation has taught you? Just make things up and tell the other person to defend it? Is that part of the good faith you know all about?

like I told the other straw man building poster I’m not defending things you just lie about.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

Please show me where I said the Wild should back up the Brinks truck. Is this what your 30 years of negotiation has taught you? Just make things up and tell the other person to defend it? Is that part of the good faith you know all about?

like I told the other straw man building poster I’m not defending things you just lie about.

Honestly, should someone call for help for you? Are you off your meds?

 

[AKL]

Honestly, should someone call for help for you? Are you off your meds?

I wonder if English isn't his first language, and that's where the confusion is coming from for him

 

[Bazeek]

No, reading and context is hard.

The person I was replying to said the Wild are being honest or at least what he thinks is happening is being honest. Personally I think many posters are not correct in what they think is happening but this is the example the poster used.

So in this example just because someone in being honest doesn’t mean they are negotiating in good faith. There is more to it than just honesty. You can’t just say “hey, I told you I’m being unreasonable and screwing you over therefore I’m negotiating in good faith”. That isn’t how it works.

Reading and context is especially hard when the thought isn't expressed clearly. I'll readily believe that you weren't intending to say that the team was acting in bad faith (whatever one's interpretation of "good/bad faith" is), but that's not clear from what you posted.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

I wonder if English isn't his first language, and that's where the confusion is coming from for him

This makes sense. I was the one who said that the Wild did try to back up the Brinks truck to Kaprizov, didn't accuse him of saying it. Maybe 'Brinks truck' is only an American thing?

 

[McJedi]

This whole thread has been people conflating these into one conversation:
1) What the Wild can do
2) What they think the Wild should be able to do (because fairness)
3) What they think the Wild should do
4) What the Wild are doing


Should the Wild explore trade options? Maybe, I think so.
Do they have to? No.
Should they have to? No.
Do they want to, at this point? Doesn't seem like it.

I’m vexed why Minnesota bought out Suter (unlike Parise, still a useful NHL player) if they were not sure they could lock in Kirill. Doesn’t make sense to me. You have a lot of cap space this season that will go unallocated.

Can’t fill with a big Kirill AAV if he’s not signing a long term deal. I agree you hammer his AAV (keep it low) if he won’t sign for term of at least 4 years. And I’d hammer 4 years a bit too.

Only get generous at 5+ Years with AAV of $9mm+.

I think your GM didn’t read the situation right. And now it’s kinda too late for this season. UFA is over. Would be badass to sign a RFA like Yamamoto or Rob Thomas to a one year deal like the Canes did to the Habs.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

I’m vexed why Minnesota bought out Suter (unlike Parise, still a useful NHL player) if they were not sure they could lock in Kirill. Doesn’t make sense to me. You have a lot of cap space this season that will go unallocated.

Can’t fill with a big Kirill AAV if he’s not signing a long term deal. I agree you hammer his AAV if he won’t sign for term of at least 4 years. And I’m hammer 4 years a bit too. Only get generous at 5+ Years.

I think your GM didn’t read the situation right.

Right or wrong, the idea seems to be that Guerin felt that Suter was a large part of the culture problem that the Wild had and that his play had declined to a point where cutting bait became a better option than keeping him around and always wondering if his recapture penalty would end up being worse than the buy out.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Didn't know kaprizov is only restricted free agent not signed. Go look up his agent. He's doing same crap Marner's agent did, and he has a reputation

If that's true, I would not like it one bit! Greedy and selfish. Totally screws up cap structure. This is why I like good old Maritime boys in Crosby and MacKinnon.

 

[McJedi]

There's also a genuine possibility that they did come to an agreement on the 5x9 deal, but can't finalize the minutiae. Which would mean this whole conversation about bridge deals and money and term is all futile, because now the only concern is bonuses and structure.

I don't think they've made it clear in so many words, but if you're Guerin, you have to be thinking he's going to go to UFA when this contract is over, and you have to realize that it's very likely he doesn't sign with us. I think the questions left for Guerin at this point are, if you can get him locked up to your 4,5 year deal, how long before you move him? You can't let him walk to free agency, but do you wait until that last year, try to negotiate something before he walks, and then trade him before the deadline if he doesn't wanna talk? I'd bet that's what Guerin does, even though there's merit to trading him sooner.

You’re probably not correct. You don’t let tiny details hold up a contract of this importance and size. There must be a larger road block in there.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Given he has been covering the NHL for over 25 years, there is zero reason to believe that his information is wrong. There have been times where his opinions have bothered Wild fans but his information, particularly what he is willing to report, is good. Your narrative would need him to be wildly (pun intended) wrong on this. That is unlikely.

I've already acknowledged that he may be credible but I've seen even the credible ones be wrong. No reporter is that accurate. And if he is right, Kaprizov is an idiot. The main point I was making is why are we not allowed to talk about other options without being jumped on? That's nonsense. Like I said, usually, when longer team deals fall through, bridge deals are plan B.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

I've already acknowledged that he may be credible but I've seen even the credible ones be wrong. No reporter is that accurate. And if he is right, Kaprizov is an idiot

Consider the context here for the Wild and your narrative once again requires him to be epically wrong. Like, forever lose his credibility wrong.

 

[McJedi]

Right or wrong, the idea seems to be that Guerin felt that Suter was a large part of the culture problem that the Wild had and that his play had declined to a point where cutting bait became a better option than keeping him around and always wondering if his recapture penalty would end up being worse than the buy out.

I could be wrong on Suter. Odd to hear such a long term mainstay with still prominent role on the team would be a cancer. Parise was marginalized but Suter was playing a key top 4 role. He was a locker room problem?

I had assumed the buyouts were done to throw big money at Fiala (he then signs a 1 year?) and Kirill. So I don’t get the 1 year deal with Fiala and Kirill seems to have zero interest in a long term deal that will gobble up a lot of cap space to buy several UFA years.

If you sign Kirill short term, that AAV comes way down. And all that recaptured 2021-22 cap space is all for naught.

that’s why I’m scratching my head at the Wild’s GM here. What was the plan? Was it vetted before the buyouts? Because what is unfolding doesn’t seem like it would have been the plan he wanted to execute.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Consider the context here for the Wild and your narrative once again requires him to be epically wrong. Like, forever lose his credibility wrong.

It's kind of a historic negotiation after only 55 NHL games. A lot of people digging into this and even if the chances are low Russo is wrong, he may have got caught into it. But if he is right, I'm not a fan of Kaprizov. I'm just not the type to believe 100% what reporters throw out there... even the credible ones.

NHLPA gets 50% of total revenue in the end. Fact. Stars should be paid but not at the cost of team competitiveness and when there are set for life regardless if it's $7M or $9M AAV. Basically guys like this are selfish and the agent feeds them the greed cause they want the biggest % of their sales.

 

[Bazeek]

I've already acknowledged that he may be credible but I've seen even the credible ones be wrong. No reporter is that accurate. And if he is right, Kaprizov is an idiot. The main point I was making is why are we not allowed to talk about other options without being jumped on? That's nonsense. Like I said, usually, when longer team deals fall through, bridge deals are plan B.

You can discuss it in the same way that I can discuss the possibility that Kaprizov learned English by listening David Icke interviews and now he won't sign because he thinks Guerin is a reptilian. It's possible, but people aren't off base for pointing out how unlikely it is.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

I could be wrong on Suter. Odd to hear such a long term mainstay with still prominent role on the team would be a cancer. Parise was marginalized but Suter was playing a key top 4 role. He was a locker room problem?

I had assumed the buyouts were done to throw big money at Fiala (he then signs a 1 year?) and Kirill. So I don’t get the 1 year deal with Fiala and Kirill seems to have zero interest in a long term deal that will gobble up a lot of cap space to buy several UFA years.

If you sign Kirill short term, that AAV comes way down. And all that recaptured 2021-22 cap space is all for naught.

I don't disagree but there seems to be a disconnect between Suter the player and Suter the locker room presence. There were allegations that every time Suter was bent about something (which apparently was often) he would run straight to the owner because they had a relationship back to Nashville. I think he chafed Guerin.

My opinion, but I think Guerin's offseason plans blew up in his face....whether that be a failed trade for Eichel, Kaprizov telling him to take his longterm offer and pound sand or something we don't know about.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

It's kind of a historic negotiation after only 55 NHL games. A lot of people digging into this and even if the chances are low Russo is wrong, he may have got caught into it. But if he is right, I'm not a fan of Kaprizov. I'm just not the type to believe 100% what reporters throw out there... even the credible ones.

NHLPA gets 50% of total revenue in the end. Fact. Stars should be paid but not at the cost of team competitiveness and when there are set for life regardless if it's $7M or $9M AAV. Basically guys like this are selfish and the agent feeds them the greed cause they want the biggest % of their sales.

I haven't seen anyone suggest otherwise but you are talking about a 25+ year reporter sticking his neck out bigtime vs some blogger who has nothing to lose. The pro doesn't report 8 years at $9m unless it is (or was) 8 years at $9m.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I haven't seen anyone suggest otherwise but you are talking about a 25+ year reporter sticking his neck out bigtime vs some blogger who has nothing to lose. The pro doesn't report 8 years at $9m unless it is (or was) 8 years at $9m.

I thought it was 5x $9M?

 

[Dickie Dunn]

I thought it was 5x $9M?

If believed, that was offer #2.

ETA: this was posted on the Wild board the day after (7/12) Russo was on a podcast discussing the negotiations.

"My gut says they were offering around $9 million on an 8 year deal and probably $8.5 [million] or $8 [million] on a 7 year deal. Right now that has not only not been accepted but its been pretty much rejected from Kaprizov’s camp. So this is like one of the first negotiations I have ever covered where the team is throwing the world at a player that has played 55 games and he’s like ‘No I want a lot less money and a lot less term.'"

So 5yr at $9m might have even been offer 3.

 

[kp61c]

Have they? I didn’t see that.

If they insist on 5+ years and refuse to offer cheap short-term deals they are.
5+ years they insist on is the result of Parise & Sutter fiasco. Kaprizov had nothing to do with it and should not be punished for it. It's not fair to ask him to take one for the team. I hope Guerin understands it.

 

[jay from jersey]

If believed, that was offer #2.

Basically Kappy saw Panarin sign a mega deal at 27years old to where he wanted to go, and he’s choosing to go the same route..
Doesn’t bode well for a long term future for the wild. It will also affect his trade value if he’s that headstrong on becoming a UFA early.
Sucks for Minn. tremendous talent that they waited extra long to come over, and now this

 

[Sota Popinski]

Your GM probably should have acknowledged the situation sooner. If Kirill has no intention of being a Wild player long term, a sign and trade should have been explored by now. He’s valuable and a team like LA (and many others) would throw a choice asset or two the Wild’s way to have had his services for the upcoming season.

I do hope a 4 year deal can materialize sooner or later if 5 is off the table from Kirills side. That’s a very tradable contract over the next 12 months if inked for this season.

if Kirill won’t sign for more than 3 years, I’d take that AAV down to a $5 handle as an FU back to him.

Our GM is under no obligation to facilitate Kaprizov playing for the team of his choosing. Through the CBA the Wild are entitled to a minimum of 2 years of Kaprizov's services. He has played one season for them. If Guerin trades Kaprizov for anything less than a massive haul, when he has the absolute maximum amount of negotiating leverage, he might as well resign as GM. He isn't going to back down here. There is more at stake than the 2021-22 season.