Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov signed the richest contract in NHL history in terms of total money and AAV on Tuesday.
The eight-year, $136 million deal will see the 28-year-old Russian tied to the Twin Cities through the 2033-34 season and carries an AAV of $17 million.
The agreement comes after weeks of reportedly tense contract negotiations where Kaprizov supposedly turned down an eight-year, $128 million extension and conflicting reports over whether the team asked for his preferred trade destinations in turn.
Kaprizov became eligible for an extension on July 1 as his previous five-year, $45 million deal with the Wild expires after the 2025-26 campaign.
This new deal will see him paid $3 million more per season than the current holder of the title for highest-paid player, the Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers signed Draisaitl to an eight-year, $112 million extension ($14 million AAV) last September.
As the press conference announcing the deal got underway in Saint Paul on Tuesday, Kaprizov was asked if he was excited about his new contract. Wild general manager Bill Guerin jokingly chimed in first with, “He f***ing better be.”
According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the structure of Kaprizov’s contract is unique. His salary will be $1 million per year for each of the eight years, and his payment is mostly comprised of bonuses. Kaprisov will receive a $18.1 million signing bonus every July 1 from 2026 to 2029. The bonus then drops to $16 million in 2030, $14.2 million in 2031, and then $12.7 million in 2032 and 2033. The deal also includes a full no-movement clause.
Kaprizov finished third on the Wild in scoring last season, recording 56 points (25g, 31a) in 41 games. The 2015 fifth-round draft pick suffered multiple lower-body injuries during the campaign, eventually opting for surgery in late January, which forced him out of the lineup until the final four games of the regular season.
The latest mega contract in the NHL comes ahead of the league’s top player, Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, entering the final year of his contract. With the Wild setting the pace for paying a superstar in today’s game, the Oilers will likely need to exceed Kaprizov’s deal to retain McDavid long-term.
While there may be some sticker shock on any upcoming deals for star players, the NHL salary cap is projected to rise to as high as $113.5 million by the beginning of the 2027-28 season. The average salary in the league will only increase as the cap continues to climb.
