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

[Bazeek]

It does for the wild, in terms of personnel. That year (2025-26) is the same year it is anticipated the cap will make its first significant jump since COVID, which means that other teams will have the cap space to be able to make competitive offers for Kaprizov and Minnesota can't use it's checkbook as the deciding factor like they did with Parise/Suter. Minnesota wants roster certainty and who they will be building around and a 5-year deal gets them into a much better position. So yeah...5 years versus 4 is a big deal to Minnesota.

Not a bad point, I suppose. I still don't think the cap would be a driving factor there but the year of "overlap" could be something the team considers important, whether it's for the reasons you outline here or other ones. With the way they've allowed this negotiation to sabotage their offseason I can see them making it a priority to avoid a repeat in 2025.

 

[Digitalbooya]

It does for the wild, in terms of personnel. That year (2025-26) is the same year it is anticipated the cap will make its first significant jump since COVID, which means that other teams will have the cap space to be able to make competitive offers for Kaprizov and Minnesota can't use it's checkbook as the deciding factor like they did with Parise/Suter. Minnesota wants roster certainty and who they will be building around and a 5-year deal gets them into a much better position. So yeah...5 years versus 4 is a big deal to Minnesota.

No, it's really not. What you said has zero impact on what the Wild can offer. In 25-26, Minnesota will have the same jump in cap that every other team has plus the $14.7M in dead cap drops to $1.67M.

 

[golffuul]

No, it's really not. What you said has zero impact on what the Wild can offer. In 25-26, Minnesota will have the same jump in cap that every other team has plus the $14.7M in dead cap drops to $1.67M.

But that's what they are trying to avoid. The similarity of other teams being able to offer a similar term/$. If they have him locked through the first year that this cap increase happens, then Minnesota gains a more "even" playing field in terms of negotiating versus the veritable spending frenzy that will occur in that first year of cap increase. Also McDavid's contract would come up in that same year, so Kaprizov won't get top billing.

 

[Digitalbooya]

But that's what they are trying to avoid. The similarity of other teams being able to offer a similar term/$. If they have him locked through the first year that this cap increase happens, then Minnesota gains a more "even" playing field in terms of negotiating versus the veritable spending frenzy that will occur in that first year of cap increase. Also McDavid's contract would come up in that same year, so Kaprizov won't get top billing.

There's also a strong possibility that Kap goes either way since he will probably want 7 years $11M, which wouldn't be smart to pay him till he's 35. I'll be okay with letting that be someone else's problem. As for years, it sounds like GMBG won't go lower than 5 years anyways.

 

[Bazeek]

But that's what they are trying to avoid. The similarity of other teams being able to offer a similar term/$. If they have him locked through the first year that this cap increase happens, then Minnesota gains a more "even" playing field in terms of negotiating versus the veritable spending frenzy that will occur in that first year of cap increase. Also McDavid's contract would come up in that same year, so Kaprizov won't get top billing.

I really don't think the team is going to base any plans on the timing of a potential cap increase 4-5 years from now. I can see them wanting room to either work out an extension in 2025 or move him with a year left on his contract, rather than risking another round of this nonsense.

 

[Ban Hammered]

In what world is 5x9 a punishment? Man sign me up for some of that punishment...

 

[Drake1588]

This idea that Minnesota has a right to his UFA years and is going to arrange the contracts thusly -- just so that they can re-sign him later on -- man, I'd be livid in his shoes. The presumption of it is galling.

He's not going to spend one more solitary second in Minnesota than he has to, now. This maneuvering to position the Wild to be in a competitive negotiating stance for his NEXT contract is going to be immaterial. Sure, maybe their odds in free agency were never great, but there was always at least the chance he warmed to the place. Now that they have put him over a barrel, he's going to sign somewhere else on his next contract, anywhere else, for non-financial reasons.

They're well on their way to poisoning the well with him if they force him to give up UFA years on THIS contract. It isn't going to matter if they are in a position to compete for his services next time around, in terms of cap space, if the experience today leaves him with the taste of ashes in his mouth.

Why they have so sabotaged their goodwill with their rising star is a mystery to me. They could have worked with him, worked on a fair compromise on a two- or three-year deal, leaving the door open to re-signing him later on. Now? He's not going to have any interest in staying long term now, feeling ill treated after they used every ounce of their leverage under his 10.2(c) status this summer.

If they eventually force him to sign one of the contracts under discussion (RFA + 1 or 2 UFA years), which seems probable since he has no recourse under the CBA, then this is the last contract he's going to sign with Minnesota.

There won't be enough money under the sun to convince him to stay as a free agent, if they piss him off royally now. Fighting him today to get into a position to offer him a competitive contract tomorrow won't matter, if he already considers the relationship beyond repair.

I question the strategy from Guerin. I question the wisdom of going to war with what is arguably your franchise player, evidently with the objective to convince Kaprizov to sign up in ~2024 for the rest of his prime years. Going to war isn't going to ingratiate yourself with him. It's going to alienate him.

It didn't need to go down this way. I think Guerin is cutting off his nose to spite his face.

 

[Bazeek]

This idea that Minnesota has a right to his UFA years and is going to arrange the contracts thusly -- just so that they can re-sign him later on -- man, I'd be livid in his shoes. The presumption of it is galling.

He's not going to spend one more solitary second in Minnesota than he has to, now. This maneuvering to position the Wild to be in a competitive negotiating stance for his NEXT contract is going to be immaterial. Sure, maybe their odds in free agency were never great, but there was always at least the chance he warmed to the place. Now that they have put him over a barrel, he's going to sign somewhere else on his next contract, anywhere else, for non-financial reasons.

They're well on their way to poisoning the well with him if they force him to give up UFA years on THIS contract. It isn't going to matter if they are in a position to compete for his services next time around, in terms of cap space, if the experience today leaves him with the taste of ashes in his mouth.

Why they have so sabotaged their goodwill with their rising star is a mystery to me. They could have worked with him, worked on a fair compromise on a two- or three-year deal, leaving the door open to re-signing him later on. Now? He's not going to have any interest in staying long term now, feeling ill treated after they used every ounce of their leverage under his 10.2(c) status this summer.

If they eventually force him to sign one of the contracts under discussion (RFA + 1 or 2 UFA years), which seems probable since he has no recourse under the CBA, then this is the last contract he's going to sign with Minnesota.

There won't be enough money under the sun to convince him to stay as a free agent, if they piss him off royally now. Fighting him today to get into a position to offer him a competitive contract tomorrow won't matter, if he already considers the relationship beyond repair.

I question the strategy from Guerin. I question the wisdom of going to war with what is arguably your franchise player, evidently with the objective to convince Kaprizov to sign up in ~2024 for the rest of his prime years. Going to war isn't going to ingratiate yourself with him. It's going to alienate him.

It didn't need to go down this way. I think Guerin is cutting off his nose to spite his face.

What is your proposed alternative that somehow opens the door for an eventual longer term extension? If he's intent on leaving as soon as possible it doesn't really matter what bridges they're burning with him in this negotiation.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

This idea that Minnesota has a right to his UFA years and is going to arrange the contracts thusly -- just so that they can re-sign him later on -- man, I'd be livid in his shoes. The presumption of it is galling.

He's not going to spend one more solitary second in Minnesota than he has to, now. This maneuvering to position the Wild to be in a competitive negotiating stance for his NEXT contract is going to be immaterial. Sure, maybe their odds in free agency were never great, but there was always at least the chance he warmed to the place. Now that they have put him over a barrel, he's going to sign somewhere else on his next contract, anywhere else, for non-financial reasons.

They're well on their way to poisoning the well with him if they force him to give up UFA years on THIS contract. It isn't going to matter if they are in a position to compete for his services next time around, in terms of cap space, if the experience today leaves him with the taste of ashes in his mouth.

Why they have so sabotaged their goodwill with their rising star is a mystery to me. They could have worked with him, worked on a fair compromise on a two- or three-year deal, leaving the door open to re-signing him later on. Now? He's not going to have any interest in staying long term now, feeling ill treated after they used every ounce of their leverage under his 10.2(c) status this summer.

If they eventually force him to sign one of the contracts under discussion (RFA + 1 or 2 UFA years), which seems probable since he has no recourse under the CBA, then this is the last contract he's going to sign with Minnesota.

There won't be enough money under the sun to convince him to stay as a free agent, if they piss him off royally now. Fighting him today to get into a position to offer him a competitive contract tomorrow won't matter, if he already considers the relationship beyond repair.

I question the strategy from Guerin. I question the wisdom of going to war with what is arguably your franchise player, evidently with the objective to convince Kaprizov to sign up in ~2024 for the rest of his prime years. Going to war isn't going to ingratiate yourself with him. It's going to alienate him.

It didn't need to go down this way. I think Guerin is cutting off his nose to spite his face.

If we give him the 3 years that he wants, he's hardly our "franchise player".

 

[Jugitsu]

This idea that Minnesota has a right to his UFA years and is going to arrange the contracts thusly -- just so that they can re-sign him later on -- man, I'd be livid in his shoes. The presumption of it is galling.

He's not going to spend one more solitary second in Minnesota than he has to, now. This maneuvering to position the Wild to be in a competitive negotiating stance for his NEXT contract is going to be immaterial. Sure, maybe their odds in free agency were never great, but there was always at least the chance he warmed to the place. Now that they have put him over a barrel, he's going to sign somewhere else on his next contract, anywhere else, for non-financial reasons.

They're well on their way to poisoning the well with him if they force him to give up UFA years on THIS contract. It isn't going to matter if they are in a position to compete for his services next time around, in terms of cap space, if the experience today leaves him with the taste of ashes in his mouth.

Why they have so sabotaged their goodwill with their rising star is a mystery to me. They could have worked with him, worked on a fair compromise on a two- or three-year deal, leaving the door open to re-signing him later on. Now? He's not going to have any interest in staying long term now, feeling ill treated after they used every ounce of their leverage under his 10.2(c) status this summer.

If they eventually force him to sign one of the contracts under discussion (RFA + 1 or 2 UFA years), which seems probable since he has no recourse under the CBA, then this is the last contract he's going to sign with Minnesota.

There won't be enough money under the sun to convince him to stay as a free agent, if they piss him off royally now. Fighting him today to get into a position to offer him a competitive contract tomorrow won't matter, if he already considers the relationship beyond repair.

I question the strategy from Guerin. I question the wisdom of going to war with what is arguably your franchise player, evidently with the objective to convince Kaprizov to sign up in ~2024 for the rest of his prime years. Going to war isn't going to ingratiate yourself with him. It's going to alienate him.

It didn't need to go down this way. I think Guerin is cutting off his nose to spite his face.

Nah, this is all on Kaprizov himself. No one forced him to stay in Russia for all these years. And quite frankly I don’t even think it might be in the best interest of the team to even sign him for a new deal after this one. If they get 5 years out of him with this tactic then they have already gotten the best years out of him and are probably better off letting him walk. Sure the Wild are never going to be able to build a team around him and compete but at least we have something resembling entertainment for the dog years of the dead cap.

 

[TwiztedHeat]

Firmly 100% on the "trade him away" bandwagon now. Move him for a center and extend Fiala on Jan 1 for 5-6 more years at like $7.5-$8.

 

[north21]

This idea that Minnesota has a right to his UFA years and is going to arrange the contracts thusly -- just so that they can re-sign him later on -- man, I'd be livid in his shoes. The presumption of it is galling.

He's not going to spend one more solitary second in Minnesota than he has to, now. This maneuvering to position the Wild to be in a competitive negotiating stance for his NEXT contract is going to be immaterial. Sure, maybe their odds in free agency were never great, but there was always at least the chance he warmed to the place. Now that they have put him over a barrel, he's going to sign somewhere else on his next contract, anywhere else, for non-financial reasons.

They're well on their way to poisoning the well with him if they force him to give up UFA years on THIS contract. It isn't going to matter if they are in a position to compete for his services next time around, in terms of cap space, if the experience today leaves him with the taste of ashes in his mouth.

Why they have so sabotaged their goodwill with their rising star is a mystery to me. They could have worked with him, worked on a fair compromise on a two- or three-year deal, leaving the door open to re-signing him later on. Now? He's not going to have any interest in staying long term now, feeling ill treated after they used every ounce of their leverage under his 10.2(c) status this summer.

If they eventually force him to sign one of the contracts under discussion (RFA + 1 or 2 UFA years), which seems probable since he has no recourse under the CBA, then this is the last contract he's going to sign with Minnesota.

There won't be enough money under the sun to convince him to stay as a free agent, if they piss him off royally now. Fighting him today to get into a position to offer him a competitive contract tomorrow won't matter, if he already considers the relationship beyond repair.

I question the strategy from Guerin. I question the wisdom of going to war with what is arguably your franchise player, evidently with the objective to convince Kaprizov to sign up in ~2024 for the rest of his prime years. Going to war isn't going to ingratiate yourself with him. It's going to alienate him.

It didn't need to go down this way. I think Guerin is cutting off his nose to spite his face.

Is this rant any more lame than stories of Kap asking for 10M per for 3 years or some strange/fake narrative about 8 figures in the KHL?

 

[EastVillageBlues]

I really doubt Minny has offered anything like this though I’m sure Kirill would sign such an offer instantly.

I suspect the guy saying 5 x $9mm AAV will be correct. He may wait on a few other RFAs to sign. Seems Kirill feels no urgency to get his deal inked. But Minny will need a contract with enough term to make him a tradable asset.

it’s clear now this player won’t play out is career in Minnesota. He’s probably got his eyes set on larger markets. So Minny needs to leave themselves a tradable contract. Something with four years of remaining term next summer would be quite valuable if he produces another season like he just did. As an Avs fan, I got to watch him play several games this year. Maybe 15. He’s a difference maker and possession driver. Very much a first line winger on any NHL team. Minny will need to preserve value on his rights.

it’s very reasonable to assume a holdup right now is over control of a limited no trade list so Kirill can prevent a move to a market he doesn’t want to play in. They may be haggling over number of teams in a no trade clause. Given a trade of this player looks increasingly likely since he won’t commit to term. I hate the Wild but I understand exactly what their GM is trying to do here.

The 2 x 9.5 was to allow time to pass for cooler heads to prevail.

There is essentially very small difference in the views of the two parties. The only real hangup is that the water has been poisoned by the Wild mgmt by low balling him in The beginning.

 

[Digitalbooya]

The 2 x 9.5 was to allow time to pass for cooler heads to prevail.

There is essentially very difference in the views of the two parties. The only real hangup is that the water has been poisoned by the Wild mgmt by low balling him i. The beginning.

Link please.

 

[Ban Hammered]

The 2 x 9.5 was to allow time to pass for cooler heads to prevail.

There is essentially very small difference in the views of the two parties. The only real hangup is that the water has been poisoned by the Wild mgmt by low balling him in The beginning.

Our first offer was reported as 8x8...how is that lowballing?

 

[Digitalbooya]

Firmly 100% on the "trade him away" bandwagon now. Move him for a center and extend Fiala on Jan 1 for 5-6 more years at like $7.5-$8.

Who is going to trade a good center for this pain in the ass player/agent?

 

[keppel146]

Just sign a 3 year deal and get it over with. Trade him at the draft or over the summer.

 

[Ban Hammered]

Just sign a 3 year deal and get it over with. Trade him at the draft or over the summer.

Caving to his demand would be really stupid.

 

[JoemAvs]

Give him a 1 year 6.5m deal and trade him at the 2022 draft.

Obviously KK has no intention of becoming the longterm franchise player of the Wild. The sooner Guerin gets it in his head that KK is not willing to stay longterm, the easier it will be for everyone involved. He will be very motivated to show that he is worth the big bucks and the assets needed from the destination he wants longerm and the Wild should get a really good haul for KK with 2 years of RFA left.

Guerin and Wild fans have been in denial but everything that has come out from the KK camp points to him wanting to go the Panarin route and him not having any intention of staying longer in Minnesota than he really has to. So all these offers that are trying to buy multiple UFA years are just a waste of time but yet it seems like the Wild have dug in in that regard.

 

[57special]

If he indeed does not want to play for the Wild long term, then the way to go about it is to quietly have a word with Guerin, so he can start looking for trades that would benefit both sides. I have heard zero rumours to that effect, so i am guessing that this is more about term, and amount.

 

[north21]

Our first offer was reported as 8x8...how is that lowballing?

A great question, had he signed that out of the gate you just know the consensus would have been a massive overpay for 55 games. Too funny.

 

[Mickey the mouse]

Guerin should just say "here's your QO , sign it or don't", negotiations are DONE.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Nah, this is all on Kaprizov himself. No one forced him to stay in Russia for all these years. And quite frankly I don’t even think it might be in the best interest of the team to even sign him for a new deal after this one. If they get 5 years out of him with this tactic then they have already gotten the best years out of him and are probably better off letting him walk. Sure the Wild are never going to be able to build a team around him and compete but at least we have something resembling entertainment for the dog years of the dead cap.

As far as I remember Minnesota didn't care about him for first few years after the draft. He was just another 5th rounder for them. They didn't even bother to ask him to come, and now it's his fault.

 

[Mr Positive]

But that's what they are trying to avoid. The similarity of other teams being able to offer a similar term/$. If they have him locked through the first year that this cap increase happens, then Minnesota gains a more "even" playing field in terms of negotiating versus the veritable spending frenzy that will occur in that first year of cap increase. Also McDavid's contract would come up in that same year, so Kaprizov won't get top billing.

Pretty much exactly that.

Sure, 4 years makes sense for cap reasons, but there is serious danger here that Minny will not be as good as they can be with their cap handicap. I know I make the Panarin contract progression comparison all the time, but again it applies here because there is serious danger that Kaprisov walks from Minny for greener pastures after this deal, just like Panarin did to Columbus. However, a successful team in Minnesota might be one of the most attractive spots in the league for players.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

As far as I remember Minnesota didn't care about him for first few years after the draft. He was just another 5th rounder for them. They didn't even bother to ask him to come, and now it's his fault.

I don't know what the truth percentage is of this, but it's definitely not over 20.