Imminent contract with star forward expected to pass Leon Draisaitl for highest paid player
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According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprisov's next contract will be worth more than Leon Draisaitl's.
On Monday's episode of The DFO Rundown,/i> Russo commented on why he believes this will be the case.
"I think he's definitely going to surpass Draisaitl, and not that Draisaitl is not the better player, but one, it's a different year, and two, it's a different situation. This is one franchise who has never had a superstar like Kaprisov. It is imperative that they get him done, and it's not going to be $14 [million]."
In a rising cap era, it's reasonable to think that salaries will increase as a general rule. In the next three years, ending 2028, the cap will have increased by $25.5M, an average of $8.5M per year.
Currently, Draisaitl is the highest paid NHL player at $14M AAV, on an 8-year contract he signed in September of 2024. If Kaprizov - who currently has a cap hit of $9M - were to surpass Draisaitl, as Russo believes, he'd have to sign for 8 years with Minnesota, at more than $14M, though given his production, could be closer to $15M.
In 319 career games, Kirill Kaprisov scored 185 goals and 201 assists, for 386 points, and 15 goals and 6 assists in 25 career playoff games played with the Wild, almost a point-per-game in the playoffs, and 1.2 ppg in the regular season, placing him in the league's top echelon for production.
By comparison, in 790 career games, Draisaitl scored 399 goals and 557 assist for 986 points with the Oilers in the regular season, and 141 points in 96 career playoff games played, good for 1.24 points-per-game in the regular season and 1.47 ppg in the playoffs. It's easy to see why Russo thinks Kirill's next contract will be more than Leon's, but that should only be based the rising cap, and not actual production comparisons
Though Kaprisov won the Calder Trophy in 2021, and set a franchise record for single-season goals in his second year with the Wild, he does not compare to what Leon Draisaitl has done with the Oilers, where he's won an Art Ross, Hart Memorial, Rocket Richard and a Ted Lindsey as the league MVP (as selected by the players).
However, if Karprisov does sign an extension with the Wild at an AAV of more than $14M, it still won't be the highest in the league. Connor McDavid's contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, with an AAV that is expected to be $17M - $19M. Connor will be, and should be, the NHL's highest-paid player, and the standard when setting the market.
Yet, whether Kirill Kaprizov signs for more, or less that Leon Draisaitl, the fact remains that he is a quality talent and one of the league's best and most exciting players to watch.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 24 | 307 ANSWERS Imminent contract with star forward expected to pass Leon Draisaitl for highest paid player Will Kaprisov's contract be worth more than Draisaitl's, in your opinion? | ||
| yes | 94 | 30.6 % |
| no | 213 | 69.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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