Kaprizov signs 8-year, $136 million contract to stay with Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Kirill Kaprizov wants to play for the Minnesota Wild for his entire NHL career, and he took a big step toward achieving that goal on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old forward signed an eight-year, $136 million contract with the Wild. It has an average annual value of $17 million and will begin with the 2026-27 season.

Kaprizov could have become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He had been eligible to sign an eight-year contract with Minnesota since July 1.

"It's long, so many years, and I'm not too young and it's probably like maybe my last contract in hockey," Kaprizov said. "I don't know, we'll see, but it's great. Sometimes you watch guys, like say (Sidney) Crosby or (Alex) Ovechkin or whatever, guys stay with same team whole career and it's pretty fun, don't change so many teams and just play for one team. And especially when I came here, Minnesota has always helped me so much whenever, like, outside of hockey, in life and hockey.

"I'm just happy to keep doing what we do and just winning here. I hope for sure. I believe one day [the Stanley Cup] is coming."

Kaprizov led the Wild last season with a plus-19 rating, finished second in goals (25), and third in points (56) despite playing in only 41 games because of an injury that sidelined him for much of the second half. He returned on April 9 and had four points (two goals, two assists) in the final four games of the regular season and nine points (five goals, four assists) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games. Minnesota (45-30-7) was the first wild card from the Western Conference and lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the first round.

"Great players want to play with great players," Wild general manager Bill Guerin said. "So, when you have a guy like Kirill on the team, it definitely is an attraction because you get to play with somebody special. And that's another reason. When he decides to stay here, we keep that. It's very much a different story if they decide to leave.

"I mean, playing with great players is what people want to do."

Selected by the Wild in the fifth round (No. 135) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Kaprizov has led the team in points in four of his five NHL seasons and won the Calder Trophy as the League's best rookie in 2020-21. He has 386 points (15th in NHL), including 185 goals (tied for eighth), in 319 games since entering the League.

"Just having him here on any term is great," Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. "He's a superstar. He's a difference-maker and you don't want those guys to get let go. We're excited he's here for eight more years. He came with a big smile today like usual, but a little bigger today."

With Kaprizov now locked in, Minnesota can turn the page to its regular-season opener at the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 9.

"I just want to say thank you to the organization and Billy and the whole team," Kaprizov said. "Today I was a little bit nervous, but I'm so happy to stay nine more years here, and it's like I said before, it's my second home. I'm happy to play here and enjoy my time all the time and to see you guys, everyone. Just happy, and all my family's happy, too. I just can't wait when season starts. That's it."