Kirill Kaprizov on future in Minnesota: ‘I love it here’

Kirill Kaprizov on future with Wild: 'I love it here' [RAW]

Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov is entering the final year of his current contract with the team in 2025-26, but is eligible to sign a contract extension starting July 1. He spoke on Sunday about his future with the team after their first round exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Wild is officially in offseason mode after getting eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Wild now has a big decision to make with one its best players. Kirill Kaprizov is entering the final year of his current contract next season. He’s also eligible to sign an extension starting July 1. Speaking with reporters Sunday, it sounds like he’d prefer to stay in Minnesota. He also wants to win.

"This is my agent’s job. Talk with Billy, but we’ll see. I love everything here, should be all good. I don’t know what to say. We’ll see," Kaprizov said.

He’s currently under contract for five years, $45 million and could be in line to be one of the highest-paid players in the NHL.

Frustrating season

Why you should care:

It was a frustrating regular season for Kaprizov, missing half the year with a lower body injury that required surgery. In 41 games, he was second on the team with 25 goals and third in points with 56.

In six playoff games, he led the Wild with nine points, five goals and four assists. He said nobody wants to lose, but he felt they played a good series. It turned in Game 5 when Ryan Hartman’s potential game-winning goal was wiped away by an offside call after a challenge. Vegas then won the game in overtime, and won the series in St. Paul.

"I feel we played good in the playoffs. I feel how we played, it was pretty good as a team and we had a good chance to go into the second round, Kaprizov said. "I know it’s bad when you lose first round, but I feel for the future we have a nice team."

What’s next

Timeline:

Kaprizov said he’ll spend a majority of the offseason back home in his village in Russia. He’s considering coming back a little early before training camp, and possibly do some fishing along with golfing. The top priority is keeping him long-term with the Wild.