Wild GM: Re-signing Kirill Kaprizov to long-term deal is No. 1 priority
Wild GM: Re-signing Kirill Kaprizov is No. 1 priority
Sunday night on FOX 9 Sports Now, Jim Rich sat down with Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin to talk about the season, and the futures of Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi. Also, meet Guerin's dog, Lando.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Wild is on offseason mode after another early playoff exit, and we’re a little more than a week away from a big deadline.
NHL free agency starts Tuesday, July 1. That’s when Wild General Manager Bill Guerin can talk with players’ agents, and he made it clear Sunday night he doesn’t want to waste any time with Kirill Kaprizov. Sitting down with FOX 9 Sports Director Jim Rich on FOX 9 Sports Now Sunday night, he wants to get a long-term deal done as soon as possible.
Kaprizov is not a free agent. He has one year left on a five-year, $45 million contract.
"He’s priority No. 1. We do have time, he has another year left but I’ve been pretty open with it that we don’t want to waste time. We want Kirill here for the remainder of his career, that’s where we are," Guerin said.
Kaprizov led the Wild with nine points in six playoff games. Despite missing half the year with a lower-body injury, Kaprizov was second on the Wild with 25 goals and third with 56 points.
Guerin and John Hynes said as much when the Wild wrapped up their season after a playoff series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Lando steals the show
Guerin's dog Lando:
Guerin made the trip into the FOX 9 studio for Sunday’s show, and had one very large guest with him. He brought his dog, Lando, a Bernese Mountain Dog/Great Pyrenees mix. He sat and relaxed while Guerin detailed what the offseason roster moves might look like.
"We’ve always had Bernese mountain dogs. I just randomly saw this breed, he’s a Bernese mountain dog/Great Pyrenees mix, we just fell in love with the breed. He was born on May 4, my son and I are huge Star Wars guys, so we went with Lando. He’s maybe the most spoiled dog in the world," Guerin said.
Marco Rossi’s future
What they're saying:
One of the hot offseason speculated rumors is the future of Marco Rossi with the Wild, and if there is one. He had a career-high 60 points in the regular season, including 24 goals, then saw his role get diminished in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He’s been connected to several trade rumors. But Guerin says he’s not in a rush to do anything.
"We want to win now, we want to compete now and Marco helps us do that. The narrative out there is we’re dying to trade him, that’s not the case at all. I’m in no rush to do anything with him," Guerin said.