Kirill Kaprizov may have turned down a record-setting deal with the Minnesota Wild, but the franchise isn’t losing hope. With the NHL season on the horizon, reports indicate the organization is sending a clear message to the rest of the league.
Question marks surfaced in Minneapolis-St. Paul after Kaprizov’s decision made waves all across the NHL. Now, it’s unclear whether the Russian star wants out of the organization or if he is simply looking for more money.
Regardless, the Wild aren’t changing their stance. Minnesota is staying put in their decision to keep the 28-year-old winger. According to reports, they are sending a concise message to the rest of the league.
“[Moving Kaprizov] is not the Wild’s intention,” insider Pierre LeBrun commented on TSN. “They are not even entertaining trade calls from teams. Teams are trying to reach out but right now the Wild are telling everyone around the league: ‘We are still trying to sign Kaprizov’. And they believe they can, and that’s important to know. They hope to still sign him, many believe Kaprizov still wants to stay.”
Kirill Kaprizov at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Tension can be cut with a knife
Minnesota is home to the biggest mall in the United States, and Minneapolis–St. Paul’s hockey club is doing its state proud. At the moment, the NHL organization in the Twin Cities is staring at the biggest shopping bill on the continent.
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“This is not cordial, this negotiation is a little more edgy between Kaprizov’s agent and GM Bill Guerin. Last week was very emotional, and it’s not clear what the endgame here is. But I don’t think the Wild want to negotiate against themselves,” LeBrun added. “They feel they made an unbelievable offer, so I don’t know how much more they can move, but they’ll have to. The question is does Kaprizov want to stay or not.”
Kaprizov reportedly rejected an eight-year, $16M contract, so re-signing him won’t be particularly cheap for the Wild. Now, the atmosphere at the negotiating table is growing thick with tension.
The market must wait
Once the initial shock of Kaprizov’s contract rejection faded, the rest of the NHL began to move their pieces on the board. However, they will have to wait, because Minnesota is far from giving up on its franchise player. For the time being, other teams can keep their offers to themselves, as the Wild have no interest in listening.
“Lot of teams around the league are keeping a close eye on this because this one is a lot more tense and could go a number of different ways. But for now the Wild have not asked for a list of teams to Kaprizov,” insider LeBrun concluded.
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Kaprizov is entering the final season of his five-year, $45 million which includes a full no-movement clause (NMC). Thus, if the Wild hope to trade Kaprizov before losing him to free agency, they’d need the Russian to waive his NMC. The best way to do that is by having the forward provide a list of teams he’d agree to be traded to.
