Kirill Kaprizov Signs Record Deal Worth Nearly Twice Sidney Crosby's Salary
Photo credit: Edit from Minnesota Hockey Magazine
The Wild have just signed superstar Kirill Kaprizov to the largest deal in NHL history, which will see him paid nearly two times more per year than Sidney Crosby.
The Minnesota Wild have come to terms to sign their franchise phenom to an extension.
President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin made the announcement that forward Kirill Kaprizov has signed an eight-year, $136 million extension contract.
The contract carries a $17 million average annual value, the highest-paid player in NHL history. The contract starts in 2026-27 and runs through the 2033-34 campaign.
Kaprizov will have been a free agent next offseason when his five-year, $45 million contract was set to expire. His initial contract had a $9 million cap hit.
The 28-year-old played only 41 games last season with a lower-body injury but scored 25 goals and 31 assists for 56 points.
In two seasons with Minnesota since signing in 2020-21, Kaprizov has 185 goals and 201 assists for 386 points in 319 regular-season games. He also has 15 goals and 21 points in 25 career playoff games.
A goal-scoring machine, Kaprizov is Minnesota's 2021-22 single-season point (108) and goal (47) leader. A fifth-round draft choice in 2015, he was the franchise face the moment he landed in the NHL.
Kirill Kaprizov Won the Art Ross Trophy the Same Year He Took Home the Calder
He has been a three-time All-Star and took home the Calder Trophy and Art Ross Trophy as a rookie.
With the record contract, Kaprizov will make almost twice as much as longtime Pittsburgh Penguins captain and superstar Sidney Crosby. This identifies the evolving NHL salary model.
For the Wild, the extension guarantees their top player to stay in Minnesota during the peak years of his career, giving the team and fans an obvious anchor to build around long-term.
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