Back on the ice, Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov says contract talks are ‘not my job right now’

Kirill Kaprizov looked like he always does, flicking shots into the net and using his body to shield the puck from pressure as he skated around the offensive zone.

“Out there on the ice, he’s still the same guy,” goaltender Filip Gustavsson said. “He’s doing extra. He’s passing around, fooling around with guys, and just being him.”

But the star winger’s first practice at training camp on Thursday at Tria Rink in St. Paul had a different vibe from his other arrivals for a new season. Kaprizov is in the last year of his contract and hasn’t signed an extension, unfinished business that made the uncertainty about Kaprizov’s future — and the Wild’s — impossible to ignore as the team reunited.

“It’s my job [to] just focus on hockey and the camp right now,” Kaprizov said, addressing the situation for the first time publicly. “I just want to be practicing. We have a lot of time. Just want to practice and get ready for the season and focus on this right now.”

Although negotiations are ongoing, neither side divulged much about how they’re going, with Bill Guerin, president of hockey operations, calling the talks “private” but explaining that “things are fine.

“The most important thing is that we want to sign Kirill,” Guerin continued. “He’s our franchise player. We want to keep him here. He’s a big part of our team. We’re working towards that. We’re doing the best we can. Hopefully we’ll get there sooner than later.”

Kaprizov said his agent, Paul Theofanous, who took in Thursday’s practice and chatted with management, has been talking with Guerin, and “it’s not my job right now.”

As for what he’s looking for in a new deal, Kaprizov said he couldn’t say now, reiterating how much time they have. (Guerin didn’t specify if the team knows Kaprizov’s expectations.)

Kaprizov, however, made it clear he wants to stay with the Wild.

“Yeah,” said Kaprizov, later likening Minnesota to his second home. “You guys know I like Minny, and everyone knows this. We have a lot of time. It’s just 2025, and it’s one more year I have. I just want to play hockey and focus and win some games and go in playoffs and win there. Just focus on this now.”

This will be Kaprizov’s sixth NHL season, all with the Wild after the forward was drafted in the fifth round in 2015 but stayed in Russia until his 2021 debut.

His current five-year contract is worth $45 million, and Kaprizov will be eligible to test free agency next summer if the Wild don’t re-sign him.

“There’s certain ways you do things and certain ways you don’t,” Guerin said. “We have protection. I’m not going to get into that but if that was the case, then we’ll handle it.”

In terms of Kaprizov’s status becoming a distraction, Guerin indicated he doesn’t see the team letting that happen, but the curiosity isn’t going away — especially if the season is in full swing and a deal still isn’t done, a dynamic that could force the Wild into considering a trade.

“We would love to have him here for as long as he wants,” captain Jared Spurgeon said.

Even if he wasn’t in a contract negotiation, Kaprizov’s return would be intriguing this season.

After surgery on a lower-body injury ended his MVP campaign and sidelined him for half of last season, Kaprizov was back to form in the playoffs, scoring five goals in a competitive, first-round exit to Vegas.

The 28-year-old didn’t require any additional surgery in the summer and is 100% healthy after an offseason that included playing a new game — “It’s like pickleball,” he said — and training alongside Pittsburgh star Evgeni Malkin in Moscow.

Coach John Hynes, who will be an assistant for Team USA at the Olympics next year in Milan, planned to have Kaprizov team up with longtime linemate Mats Zuccarello at practice, but Zuccarello is out with an undisclosed injury that popped up in recent weeks and could cause him to miss the start of the season.

“We’re still kind of looking into it,” said Guerin, who watched camp with Marc-Andre Fleury, even though the recently retired goalie hasn’t finalized an official title with the team yet.

Matt Boldy took Zuccarello’s spot alongside Kaprizov and Marco Rossi, and Liam Ohgren filled Boldy’s void next to Joel Eriksson Ek and newcomer Vladimir Tarasenko.

Nico Sturm, another pickup, left the ice early with a back issue, while Jonas Brodin skated in a non-contact jersey as he continues to recover from offseason surgery.

But whether Kaprizov comes back after this season will be the most important question surrounding the Wild until it’s answered, even if it isn’t top of mind for Kaprizov.