Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov spoke to reporters today and hinted at his interest in signing an extension with the club this summer, per Joe Smith of the Athletic.
The Wild will be eligible to sign Kirill Kaprizov to a contract extension starting July 1, and owner Craig Leipold has made it clear the organization is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep their superstar in Minnesota. Judging by Kaprizov’s comments today, the feeling appears to be mutual.
“This is my agent’s job, so we will see. But I love everything here. It should be all good,” he said. “It’s all about winning. Everything is about winning. But I like everything about here.”
It will be fascinating to see what kind of deal Kaprizov lands—his next contract could rank among the richest ever signed by a winger, or by any player, in NHL history. While Kaprizov could land a massive deal on the open market, the Wild do have a ton of cap space available, making the path even clearer to sign an extension with Minnesota. No matter the cost of his contract, Kaprizov will more than likely prove to be worth it. At just 28, Kaprizov has lit up the league over five sensational seasons, racking up 386 points in 319 games. That production already places him fifth on the Wild’s all-time points list, while his 185 goals rank third, just 34 shy of Marián Gáborík’s franchise record. And the Russian also put to rest any concerns about the injury he sustained this season that required surgery and kept him out of the lineup for three-plus months, as Kaprizov posted five goals and nine points in the team’s 4-2 series defeat to the Golden Knights.
The tone was a little less positive from center Marco Rossi, who, like Kaprizov, deflected questions regarding his contract toward his agent, but also noted his disappointment in being relegated to a fourth-line role in the playoffs, per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News.
“I was very disappointed. But I have been taught to respect those decisions. It’s always the team first,” he said. “We had an honest discussion about (my role). We were both honest. I won’t tell you everything that was said, but I need to respect it.”
Rossi, who is headed for restricted free agency this offseason, quietly put together a strong campaign with 24 goals and 60 points—impressive numbers on a team that often struggled to generate offense. Given that production, his limited role in the playoffs sparks questions about where he fits into the Wild’s long-term plans.
If Minnesota doesn’t want Marco Rossi there will be plenty of teams who would gladly take him off their hands. Rossi is a solid middle six player. It wouldn’t surprise me if some team does a qualifying offer for the RFA acquisition as a number of teams wouldn’t mind giving up draft compensation to snag him away from Minnesota.
Mr. Softie.
Only a non-playoff team would be interested in a player who is and always will be ineffective in the playoffs because Centers that don’t hit or check well are useless in a teams’ Top 9 during the Playoffs.
Same goes for small Defensemen. Useless in the Playoffs after a few games of being targeted every shift by every opposing player…
Way too many smart beings that are also hockey fans fail to give the proper weight to player playoff performance.
Rossi grew up with a Jeff Skinner Figure Skater poster on the wall in his bedroom.
😂😂😂 who are you kidding kid?
So Skinner took up figure skating when he was younger. So what.
Kaprizov can have any dollar amount he wants…I don’t think any of us here in Minnesota will complain.
He is worth every penny spent.
After the Wild sign Kaprizov, they have to find some more scoring from a couple of FA’s or through a trade.
The Wild really need to sign Rossi!! He has got better each year and on a team lacking scoring they can’t afford to let him go!! Way to young to let walk!!