Elliotte Friedman makes his thoughts on Kirill Kaprizov's record-breaking $136M contract extension crystal clear

Kirill Kaprizov has become the face of the Minnesota Wild, and his new deal confirms his importance to the team. On Tuesday, the Wild signed him to an eight-year, $136 million extension that begins in the 2026-27 season. The contract carries a $17 million annual value, making it the biggest in NHL history.

Just a few weeks before the signing, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that Kaprizov’s camp had turned down an eight-year, $128 million offer worth $16 million a year. That move showed how much leverage he had in the talks. In the end, the Wild went higher, knowing they could not risk losing their best player.

On the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Friedman shared how the talks unfolded. He said the team’s leaders were initially frustrated when the first offer was rejected, but they later stepped back to reassess the situation.

“Bill Guerin and Craig Leipold, the owner of the Wild, wanted an answer before the season,” Friedman said on Friday. [11:18 onward]

Friedman explained that once emotions settled, the Wild’s front office realized that offering Kirill Kaprizov the higher number was the best decision.

Friedman also addressed the arguments against such a large deal.

“So obviously, Kaprizov, it was about the contract. He wanted the big contract, and he got the big contract,” he said.

He pointed out that the question was not about whether Kirill Kaprizov was worth $17 million, but what would be worse, paying him or letting him walk. For the Wild, there was no real choice.

"What is worse for us, losing him or paying him 17?" Friedman said. "Like, if you're the Minnesota Wild and you let this guy walk, can you honestly look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'All right, we're going to let him walk, and we're going to go out there, and we're gonna get another Kaprizov-type player in free agency?' That is what the kids call delulu."

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Insider's take on Kirill Kaprizov's new contract extension

Kirill Kaprizov's new eight-year contract gives him a $17 million AAV. Insider Frank Seravalli said last week that this could affect Connor McDavid’s next contract talks.

"I have to think McDavid will want more," Seravalli said on a segment of B/R Open Ice. "They can't, I don't think the Edmonton Oilers can afford to go more."

However, McDavid also wants to make sure the Oilers stay competitive. So, like he previously said, he would be willing to ink a "fair" deal.

Previously, in mid-September, Elliotte Friedman said Kaprizov’s deal could set the market for other stars like McDavid and Jack Eichel.

"If Kaprizov goes to 16, where does that take?" Friedman said on '32 Thoughts.' "Jack Eichel, maybe not 16, but we're talking 14, 15. Where does that take Connor, you know."

Now that Kaprizov's deal is a million higher, it will more than likely impact the other new contracts.