Elliotte Friedman weighs in on Kirill Kaprizov’s contract situation after Wild superstar's agent was spotted in Minnesota

Kirill Kaprizov is taking his time to decide on his next contract as he is in the last year of his current deal with the Minnesota Wild. He signed a five-year, $45 million deal in 2020. And has been eligible to ink an extension since July 1.

Earlier this month, when the Wild offered him an eight-year, $128 million offer, he turned it down. The deal would have paid him $16 million per year, making him the highest-paid in NHL history.

On Friday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Friedman gave an update on the talks. He said the biggest news was seeing Kaprizov’s agent in Minnesota.

"I thought the biggest development was not anything he (Kaprizov) said or Bill Guerin said," Friedman said, (14:20 onwards). "I thought the biggest development was that his agent, Paul Theofanous, was seen in Minnesota. Because I don't believe anyone expected this to go anywhere for the next little while.

"Everybody had to sit back and ... process the fact this ($128 million) contract got turned down, and then the news got out. And I think what most people believe would happen was that both sides would go back to their corners. ... Then, we try again somewhere down the road."

Kirill Kaprizov has been one of Minnesota’s top-producing forwards since 2020. Last season, he missed the 40-goal mark due to injury, which would've been his fourth such season. That's impressive considering he has played only five NHL seasons.

Kaprizov's best year came in 2021-22 with 47 goals and 108 points. Last season, he missed 41 games but still had 25 goals. Later, he added nine points in six playoff games.

Friedman noted that no one expected talks to restart so soon. He also suggested that Kaprizov himself may have pushed for it.

"The fact that he's there, it's a good sign," Friedman said. "... I'm not sure the Wild expected another try at this so quickly. And what that makes me wonder is if the player played a role and said, 'Okay, we're gonna talk about this again.'"

Kirill Kaprizov comments on his Minnesota Wild future

Speaking to the media for the first time after turning down the massive extension on Thursday, Kirill Kaprizov said there is still time to sign a new deal with the Minnesota Wild.

"You guys know I like Minny and everyone knows this," Kaprizov said, via NHL.com. "We have a lot of time (to sign). It's just 2025, and (there's) one more year (that) I have. I just want to play hockey and focus, and win some games and go into (the Stanley Cup Playoffs) and win there."

So, for now, Kirill Kaprizov wants to focus on the 2025-26 season. He said he feels healthy and is ready for the season.