The enduring image of the Wild’s first-round playoff series against Vegas was glimpsed early in Game 3.
After an impressive road win that knotted the series at a game apiece, the Wild were home at Xcel Energy Center and on a power play just more than 3 minutes into the first period. After skating the puck in a complete circle, through the circles and behind the net, Kirill Kaprizov saucered a puck past an unprepared Aiden Hill for a quick 1-0 lead.
The left winger immediately skated to the glass, smiled to the crowd — on its feet and waving their playoff towels in a collective frenzy — and raised his arms in celebration before he was mobbed by teammates.
It seemed like a premonition, a brief glimpse of a possible future of sustained excellence with Kaprizov at the forefront, leading the Wild into deep playoff relevance.
A week later, the Wild’s season is over, ended Thursday by a 3-2 loss to Vegas in Game 6 at the X. Yet that image of Kaprizov, beaming to a grateful crowd hungry for postseason success, lingers.
Kaprizov is now officially entering the final year of a five-year, $45 million extension and will be eligible to sign an extension July 1. The Wild have roughly a year to secure the best player in franchise history’s long-term future with the team without him talking to another club. That’s good, but it doesn’t necessarily give the Wild an advantage over what would certainly be a phalanx of other suitors.
Everything general manager Bill Guerin hopes his team will achieve in the near future runs through the preternaturally talented Russian winger. But not everything Kaprizov hopes to achieve in the near future necessarily runs through the Minnesota Wild.
You see the potential hiccup.
Before a preseason game last fall, Wild owner Craig Leipold told reporters the Wild will pay whatever is necessary to retain Kaprizov, that no other NHL team will pay him more, for longer, than the Wild. It’s not unreasonable to take Leipold at his word on this.
For one thing, the Wild need Kaprizov, who could conceivably become the franchise’s leading goal-scorer next season before he turns 30. He’s currently 39 goals behind leader Marian Gaborik (219), and while he missed half the regular season this year because of a lower body injury, he averaged 44.3 goals in his previous three seasons.
Further, the Wild emerge this summer from a period of salary cap hell and, also taking into consideration the NHL’s projected salary cap of $95.5 million next season, will enjoy a windfall they can spend on free agents and extensions this summer.
But, in line for a contract worth more than $15 million annually for many years, Kaprizov will be lighting his cigars with 50 dollar bills no matter where he’s playing after next season. It’s in that context that we humbly suggest that the money won’t be the critical factor in Kaprizov’s decision.
Kaprizov might want to play in a big market, live in a bigger city or in a warmer climate. He might be around more Russian-speakers. He might want to go to a team accustomed to playing for a Stanley Cup, or a team that has another superstar that can help carry some of the load. Kaprizov missed 41 games this season, and according to StatMuse the Wild were 20-17-4 in those games.
The Wild might not have a problem here. Kaprizov might love it in Minnesota. He might want to win here, keep playing with his teammates and finish his career in St. Paul. He might want to create more of those moments from Game 3, for these fans in the Wild’s possibly upgraded, yet-to-be-renamed arena.
Some of that is probably true, but all of it?
From the outside, it seems the Wild still have some convincing to do. Kaprizov needs help, and Guerin is going to have to get him some this summer — and maybe sign Mats Zuccarello to another extension — if he wants to sign him before his contract expires and other teams make their pitches.
It’s safe to assume Guerin and the Wild will do everything in their power to get this done, but in the end it might not matter. This is Kaprizov’s decision, not the Wild’s. If their superstar wants to be somewhere else, nothing will keep him here.
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