Wild GM Bill Guerin downplays Kirill Kaprizov contract rumours

Bill Guerin is taking the first step in quelling reports about contract negotiations with his superstar forward.

A report from hockey insider Frank Seravalli on Wednesday stated that the Wild superstar turned down an eight-year, $128-million extension offer.

“We can cut to the chase. Look, I don’t know where this stuff comes from,” Guerin said about the report. “I know two things: that info didn’t come from us, and it didn’t come from Kirill’s agent. I don’t know where it came from.

“His agent and I have a very good relationship. We’re not gonna let things like this get in the way. I still think we’re in a really positive place with Kirill, and like I said, part of my role is to protect him. So we’re gonna let this go. We just move on.”

The contract would have been the highest in NHL history in both average annual value ($16 million) and total earnings.

He is entering the final season of a five-year, $45 million contract and can enter free agency in 2026. He has been eligible to sign an extension since July 1.

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Last week, Wild owner Craig Leipold said at an event unveiling the name of the team’s new home arena that he doesn’t feel “like we’re that far off,” and that he expects Kaprizov will re-sign and not test free agency next summer.

Despite just five seasons in the NHL, Kaprizov has already established himself as one of the league’s most prolific scorers. The three-time 40-plus goal-scorer has been a point-per-game player in all but one of his NHL seasons and captured the Calder Trophy following his rookie season in 2020-21. 

The Russian suffered injuries last season that limited him to 41 games, but he made the most of it with 25 goals and 31 assists and matched his career-high shooting percentage at 17.2. 

He finished with a career-high 108 points (47 goals, 61 assists) in the 2021-22 season, just his second year in the NHL.

The three-time all-star was selected 135th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft and spent five years in the KHL before heading to North America.