Is a Mid Range Deal the Ultimate End Game for Kirill Kaprizov?
Jessi Pierce of NHL.com was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Dave McCarthy and was asked about the situation involving Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild.
NHLRumors.com Transcrptions
Dave McCarthy: “Kirill Kaprizov. The news on Wednesday that he had turned down, according to Frank Seravalli, was an eight-year deal, $16 million on an average annual value. Your reaction to that news?”
Jessi Pierce: “I mean, a little alarming, but not panic level like the rest of the state has been the fan base. Obviously, those memes where there’s fire all around and ever just mass chaos of kind of what the state of hockey was like yesterday (Wednesday) for the fan base. I think looking at that, I have said from the get-go when this discussion about Kirill Kaprizov started at the end of last year, when he is going to sign the contract, how much it is going to be?
NHL Rumors: Report That Kirill Kaprizov Turns Down Eight Years and $128 Million
And even when Craig Leipold, at the beginning of last year, the owner of the Minnesota Wild, had said, we are willing to pay whatever. To me, it’s never been necessarily about the money for Kirill Kaprizov. Maybe I’m naive, but to me, yesterday (Wednesday), in the reports that he turned down that contract, he wasn’t turning down the $16 million AAV. He was turning down the eight-year term, because currently, as it says, this Minnesota Wild team isn’t necessarily a contender.
They haven’t done enough to show Kirill Kaprizov that they will win a Stanley Cup in the next two years. I think that’s what he is looking for. He wants to play on a team that is going to win a Stanley Cup. And if you don’t think your team is going to do it in the next two years, or even get to a Conference Final, or get out of the first round, which is another sore subject here in Minnesota, why would you lock in for eight years on that? So that’s my perception.”
NHLRumors.com Note: As we have been reporting throughout the summer, Kaprizov is going to get over what Leon Draisaitl makes at $14 million a season. Though money could be the ultimate factor from another team that could give him more, the players, like the teams, know the cap is going up, so taking the Auston Matthews route of a 4-5 year deal and trying to max out their value is a real possibility. He did sign a five-year contract last time after going through the same process.
NHL Rumors: Kirill Kaprizov is a Blank Check Guy for the Minnesota Wild
He wants to win, and he wants the city of Minnesota to commit to winning. This is a similar situation with Connor McDavid in Edmonton. And the two players are tied together. Who will blink first? But the Minnesota Wild see Kirill Kaprizov as a blank check guy for them. Again, there is still time to get a deal done. However, it is a real possibility that this goes further than people initially thought.
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