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Kirill Kaprizov has reset the market.
The Minnesota Wild inked their superstar winger to the richest contract in NHL history, which broke records in more ways than one.
Kaprizov’s deal is for eight years, reportedly worth a record $136 million, surpassing the $124 million given to Alex Ovechkin in his 13-year pact signed in 2008.
His reported $17 million annual average value (AAV) is also the most ever, surpassing Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million AAV.
Kaprizov won the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL’s top rookie, with 27 goals and 24 assists in 55 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season and has been the Wild’s most productive and dynamic player ever since. He received 99 of 100 first-place votes as the league’s top rookie, becoming the first Wild player to win the award.
That September, he inked a $45 million deal and responded by posting career highs of 47 goals and 61 assists.
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The following summer, his return to Russia led to a stressful offseason for the entire organization, as Kaprizov ran into several roadblocks in his attempt to travel back to the U.S. because of political relations between the two countries. The expiration of his work visa and pandemic-related backlogs at foreign consulates made the paperwork process more complicated.
Injuries began to pop up for Kaprizov, but he still managed 40 goals and 35 assists in 67 games in 2022-23 and 46 goals and 50 assists in 75 games in 2023-24. Last season was his most frustrating, when an unspecified lower-body injury arose, eventually requiring surgery and ultimately cost him 40 games.
He still had 25 goals and 31 assists and returned to the ice with a flourish right before the playoffs, when he had five goals and four assists in a six-game loss in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights.
This season will be the 28-year-old’s sixth in the NHL after being a fifth-round pick and exceeding all expectations.
But somewhere, Connor McDavid is grinning from ear to ear, as the three-time Hart Trophy winner is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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