Remember when Kirill Kaprizov was a pain in the a*s against the Vegas Golden Knights last season? The Minnesota Wild forward scored five goals and four assists in six games, almost taking over the series alongside his partner in crime, Matt Boldy. Together, the duo combined for 10 goals and six assists in the first-round series, causing all sorts of chaos for the Golden Knights.
Recent news indicates there might be some trouble in paradise in Minnesota... if you even want to call the Land of 10,000 Lakes that. The Russian winger rejected an eight-year deal worth $16 million AAV from the Wild, which would've been the most lucrative deal in franchise history. Overall, the contract would've been worth $128 million, making him the highest-paid player ever.
Sources say #mnwild superstar Kirill Kaprizov’s camp turned down an extension offer believed to be 8-years, $128 million in a meeting on Tuesday in Minnesota that would have made him the highest-paid player in #NHL history in both AAV ($16 million) and total dollars.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 10, 2025
Sure, the Wild insist on keeping their beloved megastar for years to come. They're looking to do whatever it takes to win a Stanley Cup, even if they don't have much of a shot. However, it opens a glimmer of hope for Kelly McCrimmon to upset the hockey world once again.
First, imagine a top line with Jack Eichel, Kaprizov, and/or Mitch Marner playing together. It would feed Las Vegas families for generations. Before last season, Kaprizov scored 40 or more goals and would give Vegas a bona fide goal scorer. But would it be plausible?
Exploring the plausibility of Kirill Kaprizov hopping from the Minnesota Wild to the Vegas Golden Knights
Let's be honest here. Getting Kaprizov and Eichel on the same team is near impossible, even on a short-term deal. You must account for two players getting more than $10 million AAV in their next contracts. Even if you get both on the same team, that means you're sacrificing a player or two. That could mean William Karlsson and Tomas Hertl are gone.
That's not even mentioning how you'd lose Pavel Dorofeyev in this scenario. He's a restricted free agent after this season and is arbitration-eligible. That could complicate matters in a bad way, getting the team's leading goal scorer from last season out of town.
But let's entertain this "Wild" scenario for a second. Let's say Kaprizov ignites a hockey firestorm of sorts and takes a lesser deal with the Golden Knights. That would create a world-class top line that few would match.
Kaprizov is a game-breaker who fires off a potent shot. With 185 goals and 201 assists (62 goals and 69 assists on the power play), he'd form one of the best wing duos on a line alongside Marner. On top of that, the Golden Knights would have the best wing group in the NHL. Imagine the odd-man rushes that would ensue off a turnover.
Simply put, it'd be mind-numbing.
It would also be absolute fun for Golden Knights fans to think about, where the rich get richer. Sadly, it's not realistic with Vegas's current cap situation since they'll have $20,375,000 in available cap space next season. Don't forget that it'd be impossible to keep Eichel and get Kaprizov without a massive overhaul.
Plus, Minnesota's keen on keeping him, regardless of the terms. Still, it'd be fun to imagine the chaos that ensued if a deal somehow came together.