"He's not Draisaitl, MacKinnon, McDavid, Matthews": NHL analyst doesn’t hold back on Kirill Kaprizov reportedly rejecting $128M Wild extension

Kirill Kaprizov’s decision to turn down an eight-year, $128 million extension has created plenty of discussion around the league. The reported offer from the Minnesota Wild would have made him the highest-paid player in NHL history. Insider Frank Seravalli said the proposal came during a meeting earlier this week in Minnesota.

The news drew strong reactions, including criticism from TSN’s Bryan Hayes. On "Overdrive," Hayes questioned whether Kaprizov should be considered in the same group as other top stars.

“Yes, winning is one thing, but also we’re talking, he’s never won a Hart," Hayes said. "He’s never won an Art Ross. He’s never been up for the Hart. He’s never been up for anything.

“Like he’s a really good, talented player, a winger that is good, really good player, great player, but he’s not Draisaitl, MacKinnon, McDavid, Matthews, I could go on and on and on.”

Kaprizov is under contract for one more year at $9 million annually. Compared to other forwards, his number is lower. Leon Draisaitl makes $14 million per season with Edmonton, Auston Matthews receives $13.25 million in Toronto, Nathan MacKinnon earns $12.6 million in Colorado and Connor McDavid sits at $12.5 million per year.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin also spoke about the situation on the "10,000 Takes" podcast. He dismissed the idea that the reported details came from the team or Kaprizov’s agent.

“I know two things: that info didn’t come from us, and it didn’t come from Kirill’s agent,” Guerin said.

He stressed his positive relationship with Kaprizov’s camp and said the focus remains on moving forward.

Elliotte Friedman sees bigger market behind Kirill Kaprizov’s rejection of $128M offer

Elliotte Friedman shared a different view on the "32 Thoughts" podcast. He believes the rejection shows that Kirill Kaprizov’s side expects even bigger numbers.

“For him to say no convinces me of one thing: him or his representatives as agent, they know something else is out there that’s bigger,” he said.

He mentioned the possibility of a $140 million deal or even shorter contracts paying $19-20 million per season. The analyst added:

"Now for a deal to be bigger than eight times 16 from the wild, assuming this is not a sign and trade, there has to be somebody out there with a seven times 19 or a seven times 20, that there's somebody out there who is setting up smoke signals saying we can do better."

In his eyes, most players would take record-setting security, which makes Kaprizov’s decision stand out as a sign of outside interest.