Superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov will stay in the State of Hockey for the foreseeable future.
The Minnesota Wild on Tuesday announced they have signed Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million contract, keeping him on through the 2033-34 season.
The three-time All-Star will earn an average of $17 million each year of his contract, making him the highest-paid player in NHL history.
A report from Canadian hockey insider Frank Seravelli earlier this month indicated Kaprizov had initially turned down a deal worth $1 million less per season.
In just five seasons in Minnesota, Kaprizov, 28, has already cemented himself as one of the greatest pure scorers in Wild history. He came hot out of the gate, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in the truncated 2020-21 season.
On the all-time Wild franchise leaderboard, Kaprizov ranks fourth in goals (185), second in powerplay goals (62), fifth in points (386), second in shooting percentage (16.4%), second in hat tricks (5), third in plus-minus (71), and is tied with Zach Parise for 10th in assists (201).
He holds single-season franchise records in points (108), goals (47), powerplay goals (19), and powerplay points (41) and is the only Wild player ever with multiple 40-goal seasons.