Minnesota’s Kaprizov signs NHL’s biggest deal: 8 years, $136M

The Minnesota Wild have signed star left wing Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million extension, the richest contract in NHL history. Beginning next season, the 28-year-old will carry a $17 million annual salary cap hit, the highest average in the league’s cap era since 2005. The deal surpasses Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, who earns $14 million annually on his $112 million contract, and also exceeds Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124 million deal with Washington in 2008.

General manager Bill Guerin made it clear the organization was never going to risk losing its cornerstone player, saying, “We never wanted to entertain Kirill not being here.” Kaprizov will finish out this season on the final year of his previous five-year, $45 million contract signed in 2021. That deal began with career highs of 47 goals and 61 assists in 81 games, setting the tone for his rise as the most dynamic player in Wild history.

Since his debut in 2020, Kaprizov has recorded 386 points in 319 regular-season games and 21 points in 25 playoff appearances. He became the first Wild player to win the Calder Trophy in 2021, posting 27 goals and 24 assists in 55 games during his rookie campaign. He also holds the best career plus-minus rating by a forward in team history at plus-71.

Injuries have tested him, most notably last season when a lower-body surgery cost him 40 games. Still, he produced 25 goals and 31 assists, then returned to the playoffs with nine points in six games. Prior to that, he scored 40 goals in 2022-23 and 46 goals in 2023-24, continuing to prove his scoring touch even through adversity.

Drafted in the fifth round in 2015, Kaprizov remained in Russia’s KHL before signing with Minnesota in 2020. His career has included off-ice challenges, from pandemic-complicated negotiations to visa and travel issues tied to U.S.–Russia relations. Through it all, he has become a fan favorite and locker room leader, praised for his easy smile and now fluent English.

Before this deal, the largest contracts in franchise history went to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, who signed identical 13-year, $98 million contracts in 2012. Those contracts were bought out in 2021, leaving significant salary cap penalties in recent seasons. Kaprizov’s record-setting extension signals the Wild’s determination to finally build around a true franchise star.