Insiders Reveal Massive Extension Numbers Coming for Wild's Kirill Kaprizov

Signing superstar Kirill Kaprizov to an extension is Priority #1 for the Minnesota Wild, and it will be for a massive record-breaking amount.

The Minnesota Wild took a step up this season, back into the playoffs, though it ended the same way it has now in four of the last five years, with a first-round exit.

Now comes the heavy lifting of the offseason, and according to insiders Michael Russo and Joe Smith in The Athletic, not only is signing superstar Kirill Kaprizov to an extension Priority #1, but it will be for a massive record-breaking amount.

The three-time All-Star was on the way to his fourth straight 40+ goal campaign before injuries tore his season apart. He finished with 25 goals and 56 points in 41 games. And now, entering the final season of his 5-year, $9M AAV deal, he is in for a gargantuan raise, write Russo and Smith.

The Wild are ready to make him the highest-paid winger in the NHL...
Our gut says the Wild get a deal done with him. After all, when they put an eight-year deal worth $120 or $128 million on the table this offseason, that type of security should be enticing for a player who just missed half the season due to injury.

What will Kaprizov's next contract be worth?

That would work out to a record-breaking $15M or $16M AAV. That would make Kaprizov the highest-paid winger in NHL history. On the overall salary scale, that will only be surpassed this summer by Connor McDavid, once the Edmonton Oilers center works out his extension.

Russo and Smith note that the Wild and Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, have been in communication all season long, and things seem to be trending in the right direction.

Kaprizov on his future: “I love everything here. It should be all good.” pic.twitter.com/RaTYHOrkhD
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 4, 2025

Kaprizov himself said on Sunday about his future in Minnesota, “I love everything here. It should be all good.”

Owner Craig Leipold has said earlier in the season that he has lost sleep over the impending Kaprizov negotiations, and he vowed that no matter what happens, he would not be outbid by anybody in getting Kaprizov signed.

Now comes the time to get a deal done before July 1st rolls around.