Minnesota Wild Sign Kaprizov To Record-Setting Deal

The Minnesota Wild can breathe a sigh of relief as they have signed superstar Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $17 million AAV deal. That makes him the highest paid player in NHL history.

#mnwild and superstar Kirill Kaprizov have agreed to an #NHL record contract: 8 years x $17 million = $136 million.

It's a record in both AAV and total dollars.

First to report: @KevinWeekes.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 30, 2025

This is massive for the Wild who have never won a Stanley Cup, have build a strong core of younger players and players in their prime, and are just getting going. There was going to be worry that the team would have had to rebuild or retool if Kaprizov left in free agency. He still has one year left on his current deal at $9 million AAV before he gets the massive pay bump.

This is worth it for the Wild to sign Kaprizov to more than $16 million AAV even though it is a ton of money and a lot of the cap space taken up by one player. The cap is projected to continue to climb and nobody impacts Minnesota like Kaprizov does when he's healthy.

Kaprizov had previously turned down a $16 million AAV deal and his contract includes massive signing bonuses. This is also very big for the league as he is a winger, not a center. He scored 25 goals and 56 points in 41 games played last season and does tend to miss some time every season. But if he can manage to stay healthier, the Wild would have no problems making the playoffs and finishing high in the standings season after season.

Kaprizov is a three-time 40-goal scorer in just five NHL seasons, has a career high of 47 goals and 108 points, and has 185 goals and 386 points in 319 games played in the NHL. He was also a major contributor in the first round of the playoffs last season for the Wild, scoring five goals and nine points in six games.

The Wild will now have to find a way to win in this window they have kept open for the team, but also have most of their most important younger players signed for multiple years, so they are well on their way.