Shipley: Not a great start to the Kirill Kaprizov negotiations
It was noted here at season s end that if Wild wing Kirill Kaprizov doesn t want to stay in Minnesota there is nothing the band can do to keep him here We got the first substantial whiff of that on Wednesday and it didn t smell good According to reporter Frank Seravalli an NHL insider who contributes to Bleacher Document Kaprizov has turned down an eight-year contract extension the league maximum worth million a year Quick summary Kaprizov and his agent Paul Theofanous who is in the Twin Cities this week just turned down the most of lucrative deal in NHL history So the Wild didn t lowball their star left wing and he didn t blink Yeah it s the opening salvo and it s assumed general Bill Guerin and gang owner Craig Leipold have more in the bank vault they can Hoover into Kaprizov s bank account but it s not a good start for Minnesota s NHL club Does Kaprizov as he has revealed a multitude of times really want to be here Is this a typical negotiation when you re without delay offered the biggest contract in your sport s history and turn it down Let s be honest as a competitive entity the Wild have not built a event that they can get Kaprizov s name on the Stanley Cup This is pivotal After completely urgent free from salary cap jail this summer the squad made one real move after free agency opened trading for forward Vladimir Tarasenko a Russian compatriot for Kaprizov in the locker room but unlikely to be the difference for a association that hasn t won a playoff series since Kaprizov spent much of his summer in Russia hiking with friends miles from cell facility decompressing from a trying season that went from being an early Hart Trophy candidate to missing games with a lower body injury One imagines him eventually getting online at several state forestry compound and finding out that Tarasenko goals and points in games for Detroit last season was Guerin s big addition The last thing the Wild wished was for this to become a society negotiation and Guerin and Leipold maintained relative radio silence Wednesday At selected point soon that won t be accomplishable and as a veteran of the Marian Gaborik Conflict of well just know that it will get ugly if it moves into the regular season When the Wild went to Grand Forks N D to train for the - season Gaborik s agent Ron Salcer commented his client wished an extension with the Wild telling reporters at at Ralph Engelstad Arena Marian s made it clear that s what he wants me to pursue Our intentions are sincere Were they Gaborik greater part of you may remember was the Wild s best sportsman before Kaprizov and signed with the New York Rangers as soon as he could a five-year deal worth million a year That was less than the Wild offered him I knew the deal he signed in New York and knew the deal he could have signed to stay in Minnesota and I know he took a pay cut to be in New York Risebrough narrated the Pioneer Press in At chosen point Risebrough had to decide whether to bargain Gaborik to at least get something back if he left but never really had a chance Gaborik s notoriously finicky groin limited him to regular-season games and he was out of action at the agreement deadline Now with Theofanous in town this space could soon be filled with different news But if it isn t and the Kaprizov contract extension bleeds into the regular season it will indicate that the Wild s leading scorer since he arrived in - goals and points in games is interested in seeing what he can get from a band he deems closer to winning a Cup or will offer him a richer social life or warmer weather and lower taxes In a sport with a salary cap it s challenging to believe Kaprizov will get more than the biggest NHL contract in history from any gang but the Wild especially not one paying all the other good players he would be joining and that seems to indicate he s willing to accept less somewhere else After free agency opened on July Guerin spoke about improving his - unit through in-season trades If he can t lasso Kaprizov soon and is it really up to him he must try trading Kaprizov before his young superstar officially becomes an unrestricted free agent The Wild s best outcome is a long-term deal with Kaprizov If that doesn t happen before the commerce deadline Guerin will be forced to avoid the worst-case scenario of just letting the Wild s best contestant walk away Related Articles Account Kirill Kaprizov rejects NHL-record offer from Wild Wild owner prepared to give Kirill Kaprizov a record NHL deal Former Wild star Zach Parise selected for US Hockey Hall of Fame Wild Marco Rossi agree to three-year million extension New Hall of Fame planned to celebrate hockey in Minnesota
