Kirill Kaprizov is off to a fantastic start for the Minnesota Wild. He has 21 points in 11 games, including four three-point games, and had a streak of seven multi-games and 18 primary points for the Wild. Talk about the definition of being an MVP.
NHL Rumors: Minnesota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov
As NHLRumors.com has documented, the Minnesota Wild will pay him whatever he wants to keep him. But what if he did hit the open market? What then?
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal, and a conversation came up about the future of Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota, whether he could hit the open market, and whether it would make sense for Montreal to go after him.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “Now, tomorrow (Tuesday), Dave will see the Calgary Flames at the Bell Center, and then the Canadiens go out on the road again, and they’ll be in Minnesota on Thursday. What do you think the future holds for Kirill Kaprizov?”
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Dave Pagnotta: “A couple dozen Brinks trucks arriving at his place.”
Host: “Can I tell you my dream scenario?”
Pagnotta: “Yeah.”
Host: “Cuz he is gonna be an unrestricted free agent, right?”
Pagnotta: “In a couple of summers.”
Host: “They made it known in Minnesota, they said, basically, we have the ability to make him more money than any other team, right? And they do have that luxury with the extra year on the contract. But what about if I paint you a dream scenario?
You got Demidov coming in, a Russian player, no other Russians in Montreal, and we know what Gordon was able to do in New York, the different situation in New York, but they brought in Panarin. Can Kaprizov be Gordon’s Montreal’s Panarin?”
Pagnotta: “That’s that’s a tricky one. Only because, only because we know how much Craig Leopold, the owner of the Wild, is going to throw at him. Like he keeps it up. Now, I’m not anticipating him too. He’s at a, what, two points a game clip. That’s probably going to drop a little. He’s probably not going to reach 170 points.
I don’t know. I would take the under, yeah, personally. But he’s definitely on pace to eclipse the 100, 110, and 120 range. The way that he’s rolling, I can certainly see it. And at age 27 he’s basically in that, in that prime window.
NHL Rumors: Minnesota Wild, and the Montreal Canadiens
I mean, if he hits the open market, to me, if he doesn’t sign an extension next summer, then he’s a prime target for other teams after that, in terms of targeting, if I’m Montreal, absolutely I’m going after that guy. I don’t think he’ll get there.
But just like this summer, this couple or this, this coming off-season, you’ve got two guys right now in Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner that are barring an in-season extension or something in June that they’re going to hit the market, that a lot of teams are zoning in on us, are circling as primo targets.
It’s going to be the same situation with Kaprizov. And if he keeps up playing that way, he’ll make more than both of these guys on an annual basis.”
Does this dream scenario happen? No, it probably does not. But would it shock you if Kiril Kaprizov is paid like a top-five player in the league? Absolutely not.