Neal: Wild join ‘the club’ in awarding megadeal to Kirill Kaprizov

A group of Columbus Blue Jackets players warming up before Saturday night’s game against the Wild provided an obstacle course for an intrepid reporter charging down the tunnel at Grand Casino Arena in search of Bill Guerin.

Undaunted, the reporter wove through the traffic, walked past the Wild locker room and found the president of hockey operations.

My first question: “How does it feel to join the club?”

Guerin: “What club?”

On Sept. 30, Kirill Kaprizov agreed to a record-breaking eight-year, $136 million contract, the highest ever in the NHL in total salary and average annual value.

Since then, the Edmonton Oilers extended Connor McDavid for two years and $25 million — $12.5 million a year. Jack Eichel signed an eight-year, $108 million extension with Las Vegas — $13.5 million annually.

McDavid’s deal provides flexibility to add players and try to win a title in the next few seasons. The Golden Knights are Stanley Cup contenders, and Eichel’s deal lowers their cap space to zero.

As soon as McDavid’s and Eichel’s contracts were revealed, attention turned to Guerin and whether he overpaid to keep Kaprizov through the 2033-34 season.

Guerin absolutely overpaid. But folks have made that assertion as if it is bad. It is not.

It was a commitment.

Let Kaprizov walk, and Wild fans would have been furious. Trade him, and prepare to not receive fair value in terms of players from a team that also has to afford to extend him.

And that would send a message to the locker room and the fan base: that the Wild aren’t serious about winning. So Guerin inked Kaprizov, signaling to future free agents and trade targets that he’s assembling a roster that can vie for titles in the coming years.

On Nov. 22, 1989, the Twins made Kirby Puckett the highest-paid player in the majors at the time, signing him to a three-year, $9 million deal. That was back when owner Carl Pohlad was held in higher regard.

“I’m happy,” Puckett said that day. “I’m excited. But if it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else.”

Puckett was alone as the highest-paid player for six days. Rickey Henderson matched Puckett’s $3 million annual salary Nov. 28. Mark Langston and Mark Davis topped Puckett at $3.25 million in December.

No Puck and 1991 doesn’t happen.

The Timberwolves are in the club, too. On Oct. 1, 1997 — four days after my first day at the Star Tribune — Kevin Garnett signed a six-year, $125 million contract. In addition to making him the highest-paid player in the NBA, it was the richest contract in professional sports. Garnett would win an NBA title — with Boston in 2008. Garnett was dealt there when he felt the Wolves weren’t doing enough to win.

Depending on which category you consider the most important, Kirk Cousins had the highest base salary in the NFL in 2019 at $27.5 million. He is now a well-paid backup in Atlanta, but the Vikings were doing all they could to win at the time.

Time will tell whether Kaprizov wins like Puckett did here or whether his time with the Wild goes sideways like it did with the Purple.

Kaprizov scored his first two goals of the season Saturday night and had three points during a 7-4 loss to Columbus. That’s six points in two games for No. 97 — right after the Wild joined the club.

“Oh,” Guerin said when he realized he was a member. “It feels good. It’s that you do what you have to do to keep your guys.

“You have to weigh your pros and cons. What does it mean for the team? For the organization as a whole? The business? The fans? The entire state? The market?

When McDavid’s and Eichel’s deals were announced, Guerin knew what the response would be. His response: Yes, they overpaid.

“I slept like a baby that night [when Kaprizov signed], and I felt great,” Guerin said. “And I can tell you what: If we didn’t get it done, and he’s playing it out, I’d not be sleeping like a baby every day. And it’s hard for people to understand, like, oh, McDavid took this. Oh, Eichel took that, [Winnipeg’s Kyle] Connor took that. But again, they’re all different circumstances and situations.