Kirill Kaprizov\'s eight-year, $136 million extension with the Minnesota Wild sets NHL records for total dollars, annual average value and represents a potential shift in how star players are compensated.
The deal carries a $17 million AAV and consumes 16.3 percent of next season\'s projected salary cap. Only four players in league history have earned $136 million across their entire careers: Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Anze Kopitar.
Kaprizov\'s cap hit exceeds Leon Draisaitl\'s previous high-water mark by 21 percent. It sits 42 percent above contracts signed by comparable wingers like Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner.
The NHL has not seen a player command more than 16 percent of the cap since Ovechkin\'s landmark deal in 2008. Connor McDavid\'s second contract came closest at 15.7 percent in 2018-19. No team has won a championship with a single player making 15 percent or more of the cap.
Minnesota\'s position as a middling free agent destination and Kaprizov\'s status as franchise cornerstone strengthened his negotiating leverage. The Wild have cleared most of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout penalties, carrying just $1.6 million combined for four more years.
Wild GM Bill Guerin and owner Craig Leipold prioritized retaining Kaprizov as the franchise emerges from a decade without advancing past the first playoff round.
A high-profile agent told The Athletic that new CBA limitations on contract structures will push GMs toward higher AAVs for top talent.
\"As the cap rises year over year, top players will keep pushing higher,\" the agent said. \"The league knew this and that\'s why they needed concessions on term, bonuses and year-to-year variance.\"
Upcoming free agents like Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor and Artemi Panarin could benefit from the precedent. Recent extensions for players like Anthony Stolarz ($3.75 million) and Mason McTavish ($7 million) suggest middle-tier deals remain reasonable despite cap growth.