Wild begin training camp this week as contract talks with Kirill Kaprizov continue

The Wild are on the brink of training camp, and their top objective during the offseason is still unresolved: They haven’t signed face of the franchise Kirill Kaprizov to a new contract.

Kaprizov was eligible for an extension as soon as July 1, once the final season of his current five-year, $45 million deal officially began.

Although the Wild didn’t spend lavishly in free agency despite finally having financial flexibility now that the most expensive years of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts are done, this summer still had the potential to be a game changer for the organization if the Wild locked up Kaprizov long term.

Owner Craig Leipold has said no team would offer Kaprizov more money than the Wild, and Kaprizov reportedly turned down an eight-year, $128 million contract that would have been the richest in NHL history, according to a tweet from league insider Frank Seravalli.

Kaprizov, who returned to the Twin Cities last week, golfed at a team tournament Monday at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, and players will report for fitness and medical testing on Wednesday. Practices start Thursday at Tria Rink in St. Paul where Kaprizov will presumably address his status.

Asked about negotiations with Kaprizov, president of hockey operations Bill Guerin described them as ongoing.

“We haven’t talked in the last couple days, but we will soon,” Guerin said. “I just can’t say [enough] how much we just want to get something done. We feel like we’ve really expressed how much we want Kirill.”

Connor McDavid and Edmonton haven’t re-upped, and neither have Jack Eichel and Vegas. But the longer this loose end looms over the Wild, the more precarious the situation could become.

While Kaprizov, 28, has mentioned that he loves Minnesota, he will have the option to sign elsewhere if he lets his contract run out and tests free agency after the season. That would be a nightmare scenario for the Wild, whose competitiveness has been sponsored by Kaprizov since he debuted in 2021 after getting drafted in the fifth round six years earlier. The Russian forward is already the franchise leader in single-season goals (47), assists (61) and points (108).

If this impasse persists deep into the season, the Wild will be at an unenviable crossroads: Keep Kaprizov and have him finish out his contract, or trade him so the team can recoup at least some type of asset for him instead of getting nothing if he leaves in free agency. That is what happened in 2009 with then-franchise icon Marian Gaborik, who joined the Rangers in New York.

Earlier this year, Kaprizov made it clear how important winning is to him.

The Wild have been playoff-bound in four of Kaprizov’s five seasons, including last spring when the left winger had a series-high nine points vs. the Golden Knights for an impressive return from surgery on a lower-body injury that sidelined him for half the regular season and sabotaged his early MVP candidacy. But the Wild were eliminated in six games and haven’t advanced past the first round since 2015.

Still, a youth movement is in the works, as Zeev Buium and David Jiricek try to establish themselves on the blue line, Danila Yurov and Liam Öhgrenvie for regular roles up front and Jesper Wallstedt settles in as goaltender Filip Gustavsson’s backup.

The direction of the team, though, isn’t the only factor in a negotiation like Kaprizov’s; how much he’s paid and for how long must be figured out, as well as trade protection.

Not having answers to these questions in the interim doesn’t change the facts: Kaprizov is under contract for the season, and the Wild can continue to pursue a deal.

But this process does come at a price, and that’s coping with the uncertainty.