Kirill Kaprizov definitely makes a mark for the Minnesota Wild—he posted a +19 plus-minus and showed off his scoring skills with 25 goals, 31 assists, and a total of 56 points, despite dealing with some injury concerns. His vision, playmaking, and knack for creating in one-on-one situations really helped the Wild get through injuries and some ups and downs. But, you know, Minnesota’s performance hasn’t really matched up with the top teams in the NHL.

So, they made it to the playoffs in the 2024-25 season, which is great, but there’s still a bit of a worrying trend. Minnesota got bounced in the first round again, marking the ninth year in a row, and they lost 4–2 to the Vegas Golden Knights. His future with the team is definitely a topic of concern since he’s heading into the last year of his 5-year, $45,000,000 contract.

It’s clear that Wild’s GM Bill Guerin is super committed to keeping Kirill Kaprizov on the team. He mentioned, “We don’t have to sign him on July 1. We’d like to get it done as soon as we can. I’d love to do that. These things take time. They’re complicated deals, and there’s a lot to them. So, if it doesn’t happen on July 1, don’t panic. Don’t panic. It’s a process.” It seems like what the GM said was spot on.

According to a recent post on NHL Rumor Report’s X, Frank Seravalli, a familiar face in the NHL insider scene, shared his thoughts on what Kirill Kaprizov’s next contract extension might look like. He mentioned, “I would ballpark somewhere in the neighbourhood of 8 years x $15 million dollars, that’s just a guess; they’re working away on that deal.”

If the final contract looks like what Seravalli estimated, it would be a big commitment from the Minnesota Wild, coming in at around $120 million in guaranteed value. This kind of deal would really put Kaprizov among the top-paid forwards in the NHL and show how the Wild plan to build their team around him for the long haul. The suggested timeline and pay really match up with what other top players like him are getting.

For sure, Kaprizov is the star player for Minnesota. But you know, the 2024-25 season really got overshadowed by that injury he dealt with in the middle of the season.

The Minnesota Wild’s star wingers’ struggles

Kaprizov kicked off the 2024–25 season in an exciting way, racking up 52 points (23 goals, 29 assists) for the Minnesota Wild in just 37 games. But then, in late January, everything changed when he had to stop his campaign because of a nagging lower-body injury that needed surgery. Wild GM Bill Guerin shared the news about the procedure, mentioning that the star winger would likely be out for at least four weeks. He also noted that the recovery might take longer, especially as this “Hart Trophy–type” season started to slip away.

Minnesota placed Kaprizov on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), which means he was out for a total of 23 straight games. By late March, it was reported that he had started skating again and was working on his on-ice rehab. However, coach John Hynes reminded everyone that this was just the beginning, and there wasn’t a set timeline for when he would be back. While he was away, the Wild’s standings got a bit shaky, but they held onto a wild-card spot mainly thanks to their depth and solid defensive setup.

When Kaprizov came back in April with Joel Eriksson Ek, he looked a bit rusty as he got back into the swing of things. Even though there were moments of brilliance, it took a while for him to get back to his top form. Still, his return really pumped up Minnesota as they got ready for a close playoff race.