Breaking: Kirill Kaprizov Turns Down Largest Contract Offer in NHL History

Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild forward, during warmup

Noted NHL insider Frank Seravalli has dropped a doozy of a rumor on Wednesday, stating that Kirill Kaprizov turned down a whopping $128 million eight-year extension offer from the Minnesota Wild, with a $16M AAV.

Kaprizov turned down an extension offer that would’ve made him the highest paid player in NHL history 👀 pic.twitter.com/igeC1sPTmM
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) September 10, 2025

Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic are also reporting the rumor, though they were unable to get a reply from Wild GM Bill Guerin to confirm it.

Kaprizov turns down largest NHL contract offer in history at $128M

That contract would be the largest in the history of the NHL, both by total value ($128M tops the $124M of Alex Ovechkin), and in AAV ($16M would clear Leon Draisaitl's number by two million).

Kaprizov, the Wild's superstar forward, still has one year remaining on his five-year deal at $9M, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season.

If indeed he turned down the massive eight-year offer, it doesn't necessarily mean that Kaprizov isn't willing to stay in Minnesota, as he could be eyeing a shorter-term deal for now.

But if he isn't interested in re-signing with the Wild, Russo and Smith say the team should immediately get a list of teams he would be willing to go to, and start trade talks.

The three-time 40-goal scorer has just made his way back to Minnesota from Russia, where he spent the summer. Extension talks were expected to ramp up with some face-to-face sessions this week.

It was just last week that team owner Craig Leipold expressed supreme confidence of getting a deal done with his franchise player.

“I just feel that we’re not that far off,” Leipold Leipold said . “I kind of think we’re there."

Kaprizov, 28, only played 41 games last season due to injury, but still scored 25 goals, after three straight years topping the 40-goal mark.