Wild make Kaprizov highest-paid NHLer ever with eight-year, $17 million AAV contract

The Minnesota Wild announced Tuesday they had signed Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million contract extension that will pay the forward an annual average value (AAV) of $17 million, making him the highest-paid NHL player in league history.

The deal will kick in next season and run through the 2033-34 campaign.

The first to report the extension was ESPN hockey analyst Kevin Weekes, who said the two sides agreed to the record-setting contract extension.

The deal surpasses the record for the highest NHL contract in total dollars, previously Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124 million extension signed with the Washington Capitals in September 2009, giving him an AAV of a little more than $9.5 million. Ovechkin also became the first player ever to sign a deal worth more than $100 million.

Edmonton Oilers’ forward Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million deal last fall, setting a new mark with a $14 million AAV.

In July 2012, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Shea Weber signed a 14-year, $110 million contract extension with the Nashville Predators, giving him an AAV of $7.85 million. He would soon be traded to the Montreal Canadiens, and despite not playing since 2021, his contract has been moved to the Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth and Chicago Blackhawks.

Kaprizov, 28, finished the 2024-25 campaign with 25 goals and 31 assists for 56 points in 41 regular-season games. Before suffering an injury last December against the Chicago Blackhawks, Kaprizov had recorded 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points in just 34 games, placing hiim among the league leaders in production.

Through five NHL seasons, Kaprizov has 185 goals and 201 assists for 386 points in 319 career regular-season games. His 2021-22 campaign saw him reach career highs in all offensive categories, finishing with 47 goals and 61 assists for 108 points, setting single-season franchise records for Minnesota for goals and points.

Since debuting in 2020-21, only Auston Matthews and Leon Draisaitl have a higher goals-per-game average among active NHL players.

Before joining the NHL, Kaprizov, a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, spent six seasons in Russia’s KHL, scoring 113 goals and 117 assists for 230 points in 293 regular-season games with Novokuznetsk, Salavat Yulaev and CSKA Moscow.

Internationally, he led the Olympic Athletes from Russia squad to a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, recording five goals and four assists for nine points in six games.