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Did Kirill Kaprizov just sign richest deal in NHL history? All about Minnesota Wild star's new contract extension
Kirill Kaprizov has signed a record-breaking eight-year, $136 million contract extension with the Minnesota Wild.
Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild have negotiated a record contract for the Russian forward.
In order to stay in Minnesota through the 2033–24 season, Kaprizov inked an eight-year, $136 million contract extension on Tuesday. The overall contract dollars and average yearly value of $17 million are the highest ever in NHL history. The Athletic reports that the agreement includes substantial signing incentives as well.
The previous record of $14 million, which was held by Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, is surpassed by the $17 million AAV.
Kaprizov's new contract and records
The NHL season of 2026–2027 will mark the start of Kaprizov's new contract. He signed a five-year, $45 million agreement in September 2021, and it will expire at the end of this season.
The Wild selected the 28-year-old Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL draft, and he is starting his sixth season. He has registered 185 goals, including three seasons with 40 goals, and accumulated 386 points since joining the league in 2020–21.
As training camp drew near, the two parties had been engaged in continuous negotiations. However, it has been alleged that Kaprizov turned down an eight-year, $128 million deal one week before to players reporting.
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Here's what Kaprizov said before
Two weeks after camp commenced, Kaprizov said, “You guys know I like Minny and everyone knows this.”
“We have a lot of time [to sign]. It's just 2025 and it's one more year I have. I just want to play hockey and focus and win some games and go into [the Stanley Cup] Playoffs] and win there. Just focus on this now,” he added.
It will be interesting to see how future NHL contracts are impacted by the huge Kaprizov deal. Superstar Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has an eight-year, $100 million contract that has a $12.5 million salary cap. He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
