Elliotte Friedman names $45M Minnesota Wild star due massive pay day

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Nov 05, 2024 02:03 GMT

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Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov may soon become one of the NHL's highest-paid players. On November 4th's 32 Thoughts podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed Kaprizov’s value with co-host Kyle Bukauskas. Friedman highlighted that Kaprizov is essential to the Wild, saying,

[20:00] “He is one of theirs. That is a Minnesota Wild success story... "

Friedman also mentioned that the Wild are ready to pay a “massive number” to keep Kirill Kaprizov because they know he’s worth it.

"I think this guy is going to be one of the top paid players in the league, because Wild knows if he hits the market everybody is going to chase after him and it's that important to the franchise." Friedman said, "He's their most dangerous player by a mile. This is going to be a massive number, and they'll happily pay the massive number, because they know he's worth that."

Kirill Kaprizov is currently on a five-year, $45 million contract with a $9 million cap hit per season, which will end after the 2025-26 season. His start to this season has been remarkable, with 21 points in 10 games, tying him for first place in the league.

Prior to the game against the Maple Leafs, Kaprizov scored twice against the Lightning and added an assist, making it his seventh straight multi-point game. But this point streak ended in the game against the Maple Leafs.

Kaprizov’s strong start has put him in early MVP talks, with projections suggesting he could reach around 157 points this season, including over 50 goals and 100 assists. While these numbers might dip as the season progresses, he remains the Wild’s key player.

Kirill Kaprizov's point streak ended in Minnesota Wild's overtime win

The Minnesota Wild beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in overtime, making it their third straight win. Matt Boldy scored the game-winner just two minutes into overtime. The play started when Max Domi tried to clear the puck, but Jared Spurgeon got to it first. Spurgeon passed to Marco Rossi, who set Boldy up for a breakaway. Boldy lifted the puck over goalie Anthony Stolarz to end the game.

Ryan Hartman scored the first goal for the Wild in the first period, giving them a 1-0 lead. Toronto’s William Nylander tied it up with a power-play goal in the final minute of the first.

Kirill Kaprizov didn’t score, but he played 24 minutes, the most on the Minnesota Wild. It also ended his seven game point streak. Wild coach John Hynes said both teams played with good structure and effort, calling it a “hard game to play.”