Reason why contract negotiations are falling apart between Kirill Kaprizov and Wild exposed

On Tuesday, it was reported that Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov has broken off contract negotiations with Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin and will resume when he returns from his native Russia later this offseason.

Team insider Michael Russo has shared a little more on the situation, explaining why contract negotiations between the superstar and the Wild are falling apart.

Kaprizov is a pending free agent for next summer in a class where many star players could test the market, including Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar and Vegas Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel.

However, the situation for Kaprizov is quite different than the three aforementioned players because the Russian forward might want shorter term in case he does not get a shot at a Stanley Cup championship soon. According to Russo, who spoked on Daily Face-Off, this is the main reason contracts negotiations are taking a breather at this time:

“We’re talking Minnesota. We’re not talking Edmonton. That wins playoff round after playoff round after playoff round has gone to two straight Stanley Cup Final. Like, if you’re Connor McDavid, that might mean a lot to re-sign there for the max. I don’t think he is going to do that from all reports, but to me, it makes more sense from him than from Kaprizov, who’s playing for a team that, yes, they’ve made the playoffs for what 10 of the last 12 years, I believe it is. But they’ve only gotten past the first round, not since 2015. So I think it makes a lot of sense.

“I know that if Bill Guerin probably had to do it over again, he would have done it for eight years like Kaprizov wanted, four years ago, but they went with the five-year term at the time. It was the highest contract in NHL history for a guy that’s played only, I think, 55 games. At that time, they gave him $9 million a year. It was largely panned. I remember Drew Doughty said publicly he was overpaid. And now, if you go back, you kind of wish that, I’m sure Billy wishes that he did the eight years.”

Kaprizov had an absolutely stellar season last year and was even in contention for the Hart Trophy as league MVP until having to undergo mid-season surgery. He’s coming off a five year contract that pays him $9 million per season.

This is obviously concerning news if you’re a fan of the Wild, but with Russo providing an explanation, this leads to possible solutions and perhaps an agreement on a new deal before Kaprizov is tempted to test free agency next summer.