Elliotte Friedman breaks down Kirill Kaprizov’s preferred landing spots; hints at potential Minnesota Wild exit

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discusssed Kirill Kaprizov’s future on Monday. The winger is in the last year of his five-year contract and is eligible to sign an extension with the Minnesota Wild. However, he reportedly rejected an eight-year $128 million extension last week.

Friedman said that Kaprizov may consider other teams.

"Yes, it certainly is possible that there are other teams out there that he might want to play for," Friedman said, via the "32 Thoughts" podcast.

Friedman mentioned Florida, Tampa Bay and the Rangers as possible landing spots, but he believes the salary cap and taxes could make those moves difficult.

"If the goal is to get a massive contract and go somewhere where he wants to go, like Florida is not going to go where this is being talked about and Tampa," Friedman said. "I mean, I don't think they're going where this is being talked about. And even the Rangers because that's not a no tax state.

"So I think there's also a discussion about, if the goal is to move the needle, get a massive deal and go somewhere where he wants to go, a lot of the places that people really want to go, they're not sure if they could do that either."

He also mentioned Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanus, who represents Rangers forward Artemi Panarin as well. Handling both players on the team would be difficult.

"And could they even do both guys?" Friedman said.

Kaprizov has been Minnesota’s top offensive player since his 2020 debut. He missed 41 games last season with an injury, but still recored 25 goals and 56 points. In the playoffs, Kaprizov added nine points in six games. His production shows his value to the team, and Wild owner Craig Leipold expressed his intentions to sign him long-term.

However, days after Leipold's statement, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported on Thursday that Kaprizov turned down a $128 million offer. It would have made him the highest-paid player in NHL history. That led to the belief that he might want to move to a new city.

"I had a few people say to me, 'It could be something as simple as he's choosing not to sign in Minnesota, and he wants to go elsewhere,'" Friedman said. "And that certainly could be true."

Elliotte Friedman's take on Kirill Kaprizov's affinity for Wild

Elliotte Friedman added that players who know Kirill Kaprizov said he speaks well of the Wild. He has not complained about the city, the team or his teammates.

"He (Kaprizov) has spoken very well of the organization, like some guys get away from their team or their teammates, and they're like, 'I hate this here. I don't want to be here.'" Friedman said on Monday, via the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "Kaprizov apparently is not that. He has spoken very well about the team, the city, and the organization."

However, Friedman noted that it is still possible Kaprizov chooses another team.

"Again, he could still prefer to go somewhere else. But it's not like he sits there and says, 'I can't wait to get out of here.'" Friedman said. "It certainly is possible that there are other teams out there that he might want to play for."

In five NHL seasons, Kaprizov has reached 40 goals three times, including 47 goals and 108 points in his second year. Minnesota views him as its cornerstone, and it may come down to Kaprizov wanting to continue playing for the city.