As the Minnesota Wild skate into a new season, the spotlight isn’t just on fresh line combinations or how the team looks in camp. A bigger storyline has begun to swirl, one that has little to do with the on-ice drills and more to do with what’s happening behind the scenes.
Could Contract Silence Push Kirill Kaprizov Toward Free Agency?
During his annual preseason media availability in St. Paul, owner Craig Leipold was pressed about a situation that has been hanging over the franchise. Instead of opening up, Leipold turnd a few heads with his response.
When asked directly about the negotiations involving Kirill Kaprizov, Leipold pushed back, saying there was “nothing to gain, everything to lose” by talking about it.
Wild owner Craig Leipold met with reporters between periods as he does each preseason. He declined to answer any questions about Kaprizov negotiations. Leipold said he’s “not touching” the topic. “(I have) nothing to gain and everything to lose,” by talking about it.
— Judd Zulgad (@jzulgad) September 26, 2025
That comment, short as it was, landed hard. Reports have already suggested the Wild tabled an eight-year, $128 million offer, one that Kaprizov’s camp reportedly turned down. Neither side has offered much clarity, and the silence has only fueled further speculation.
Leipold admitted some may be frustrated by his refusal to comment. “They’ll be disappointed,” he said, “but you guys will report it nicely, and I won’t be damaged too bad.”
The Wild aren’t alone in facing this kind of standoff. Around the league, several top-tier players, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor among them, are also skating into the final years of their contracts without fresh deals in place.
With the NHL’s salary cap projected to rise by nearly $25 million over the next three seasons, leverage is shifting. Teams are being forced to juggle budgets more carefully, and players know they may have more options than ever.
Leipold noted that the changing economics affect everything. “That’s a lot of new money in the system that, frankly, a year or two ago we certainly had no idea was going to be available,” he said. “So it does change things, and we have to change with it.”
The Stakes for Minnesota
Kaprizov isn’t just another player in the lineup. Since arriving in 2020, he’s delivered three 40-goal seasons, broken nearly every franchise scoring record, and cemented himself as the face of the franchise.
The message is that general manager Bill Guerin will steer the talks. “Billy’s the guy,” Leipold said. “He’s the one that does the negotiating, no matter who it is, and that’s his responsibility and his role.”
Kaprizov has kept his own remarks light, saying that he’s focused on playing hockey and not the business side of things.
Still, with free agency looming in 2026 and just one year left on his deal, pressure is building by the day.
The Wild open their season Oct. 9 in St. Louis. Whether they do so with certainty about their star’s long-term future is the question hanging in the air.
