Is Kirill Kaprizov worth a record-setting contract?

All signs point to the Minnesota Wild signing All-Star winger Kirill Kaprizov to a massive extension this summer.

Recent reports suggest that the Wild will likely sign Kaprizov to an eight-year, $120M contract.

This deal would surpass Leon Draisaitls contract for the leagues highest average annual value (AAV).

Still, it would fall $4M short of Alex Ovechkins record for the largest contract ever signed in the NHL.

This raises the question: Is Kaprizov worth such a significant investment? Unfortunately, Kaprizov is coming off the worst season of his career thanks to injuries.

He finished the campaign with 41 games played in the regular season, and another six in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Although he missed half the season, he scored 25 goals in 56 games, finishing third on the team in scoring and 16th in Hart Memorial Trophy voting.

Finishing that high in team-scoring for a playoff team while losing half the year to injuries is a testament to Kaprizovs value.

Since joining Minnesota for the 2020-21 NHL season, hes scored 185 goals and 386 points in 319 games, far and away the highest on the team over that stretch.

Kaprizovs contract demands ultimately come down to one equation.

Assuming hes signed to the $15M figure, Minnesota must ask if hes worth 14.4% of their cap for the 2026-27 season, and even less throughout the subsequent years.

Its a fairly easy equation to sort through.

Over the past five years, Kaprizov has been directly involved in 386 goals scored by the Wild.

To understand his impact, we can analyze his point contribution to the total number of goals the entire team has scored during that period.

Since Kaprizov began his career, Minnesota has scored 1,197 goals.

Factoring in Kaprizovs contributions, its easy to ascertain hes been involved in 32.2% of the Wilds goals, despite missing many games due to injuries.

Given that hes accounted for one-third of the teams offense since coming into the league, it seems like an easy investment to make for the Wild.

Unfortunately, his injuries are cause for concern, and they could become an issue throughout negotiations when agreeing to a final dollar amount.

Regardless, the good news is that Minnesota appears to realize exactly what they have in Kaprizov.

Their only pathway to contention runs through him, and theyre seemingly ready to recognize him financially for that.

His hypothetical $15M AAV wont last long as the leagues highest, with Connor McDavid prepared to earn more on his next contract with the Edmonton Oilers, or elsewhere.

Still, although its not commonplace to make wingers some of the leagues highest-paid, Kaprizov is worth every penny.

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission..

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