NHL analyst weighs in on Kirill Kaprizov's contract holdup - "His comparables have been set"

NHL analyst Anthony Di Marco has discussed Kirill Kaprizov’s contract situation. Kaprizov is in the last year of a five-year, $45 million contract. He is currently waiting for an extension from the Minnesota Wild, and is eligible to sign one since July 1. If he signs in 2026, the term can only be seven years. For now, the Wild have $9.4 million in projected cap space.

In his column for "Daily Faceoff" on Thursday, Di Marco said Kaprizov’s contract value is already set based on recent deals for Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner. Di Marco believes Kaprizov will make over $13 million per season.

"As for Kirill Kaprizov, his comparables have been set," Di Marco wrote. "Based on what Mikko Rantanen signed with the Dallas Stars and Mitch Marner with the Vegas Golden Knights, we know that Kaprizov is going to punch in an AAV north of $13 million at the very least.

"Speculatively speaking, I think this is a scenario in which the hold up may come down to a preferable destination on the side of the player."

In the 2024 season, Kaprizov missed 40 games with a lower-body injury. He scored 25 goals and had 31 assists in 41 games. He led the Wild in playoff scoring with nine points in six games. Since entering the NHL in 2020-21, he has led the team in points four times.

In his sophomore NHL season, Kaprizov scored 47 goals and 108 points with a plus- rating of 27. Following which he touched the 40 goal mark two more times, only missing it in 2024-25 season due to injury.

The Wild have reached the playoffs in 11 of the past 13 seasons. However, they have not won a single round since 2015.

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Minnesota focused on securing Kirill Kaprizov long term

In May 2025, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said re-signing Kirill Kaprizov is his main focus.

“My expectations are to get him signed. That’s it,” Guerin said via NHL.com, noting how important Kaprizov is to the team and city.

"I’d like to get it done as soon as I can. Obviously, everybody knows how important Kirill is to the team and to the organization and to the market. He’s a star player. So, yeah, that’s priority No. 1."

Kirill Kaprizov has also said he likes playing in Minnesota and wants to win.

"I love everything here," Kaprizov said. "(extension) It’s always, every time about winning. Always everyone wants to win. Me, too. Same. I like everything here."

So, both sides appear confident they can reach an agreement.