{"id":200548,"date":"2025-10-09T16:41:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/200548\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T16:41:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:41:07","slug":"we-did-what-we-felt-we-had-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/200548\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We did what we felt we had to do\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Wild<\/a> winger Kirill Kaprizov<\/a> is shaping up to be the NHL\u2019s highest-paid player by a wide margin next season after Connor McDavid<\/a>, Kyle Connor<\/a> and Jack Eichel<\/a> inked extensions this weekinstead of\u00a0potentially reaching unrestricted free agency in July.<\/p>\n

Kaprizov will carry a cap hit of $17 million on his record-setting eight-year, $136 million contract. While it appeared last week that deal could reset the market, McDavid took a surprising $12.5 million average annual value on his two-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> before Connor signed for $12 million per year with the Winnipeg Jets<\/a> on an eight-year deal and Eichel inked for $13.5 million on an eight-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite possibly overpaying, Wild general manager Bill Guerin<\/a> said he has no regrets in doing what he needed to in order to keep Kaprizov in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, everybody\u2019s got a price to where they want to play in their market, and Kirill is worth that to us. He\u2019s that important to us,\u2019\u2019 Guerin told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in The Athletic. \u201cAnd we couldn\u2019t take the chance of letting him go. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s great for those other teams, but it\u2019s still great for us that we have him for nine years. And yeah, Jack is at $13.5 million, and that\u2019s great. But Kirill is that important to us. If we let him go or we even flirt with it, who knows? The worst-case scenario is definitely that he leaves. It\u2019s worse than paying him $17 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wild-Kaprizov salary regrets? Not a chance, Bill Guerin says. And what the Connor, Eichel deals mean for Kempe, Tuch, Necas and more in my latest Rumblings for \u2066@TheAthletic<\/a>\u2069 \u2935\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/BulkjyOwzM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Guerin admits he\u2019s heard the backlash as Kaprizov figures to make $3 million more than the league\u2019s next-highest paid player, Oilers star Leon Draisaitl<\/a>, in the 2026-27 season. While some say the general manager should have called Kaprizov\u2019s bluff after he rejected a $16 million AAV in August, Guerin says keeping the forward was the team\u2019s lone priority. <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, people say that; they\u2019re not sitting in my chair,\u201d Guerin said. \u201cThat\u2019s easy to say behind a keyboard or from whatever. I don\u2019t apologize or feel like I have to defend it. We did what we felt we had to do to keep our player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Replacing Kaprizov likely would have proven difficult with many of the potential top names for next July 1 now off the board. New York Rangers<\/a> forwardArtemi Panarin<\/a>, Montreal Canadiens<\/a> winger Patrik Laine<\/a>, Martin Necas<\/a> of the Colorado Avalanche<\/a>, Adrian Kempe<\/a> of theLos Angeles Kings<\/a> andBuffalo Sabres<\/a>forwardAlex Tuch<\/a> are among the remaining potential candidates to reach free agency.<\/p>\n

Kaprizov\u00a0recorded 25 goals and 56 points while being limited to just\u00a041 games due to injury with the Wild last season. He added five goals and nine points in six playoff games against the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> as Minnesota\u2019s series win drought was extended to 10\u00a0years – a streak that includes eight postseason appearances.<\/p>\n

With 23 goals and 52 points in 37 games to start last\u00a0season, the 28-year-old winger\u00a0was considered a Hart Trophy candidate before suffering a lower-body injury. He topped the 40-goal mark in each of the previous three seasons, with a career-high 47 goals and 108 points in 2021-22.<\/p>\n

He will spend this season playing out the last of a five-year, $45 million contract that carries a cap hit of $9 million.<\/p>\n

Drafted 135th overall by the Wild in 2015, Kaprizov has 185 goals and 386 points in 319 career games.<\/p>\n

Kaprizov won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021 after recording 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games. Hehas\u00a0also represented the Wild at the All-Star Game three times.<\/p>\n