Minnesota Wild

Wild GM Guerin Fires Back at Kaprizov Negotiation Report

Find out what Bill Guerin had to say about the recent Kirill Kaprizov contract talk and his relationship with the player.

by
NHL Trade Talk
September 11, 2025

Bill Guerin declined at first to comment publicly when the news that Kirill Kaprizov turned down $128 million leaked online. Not long after the report started to spread, he had little choice. Speaking on the report that Kaprizov turned down an eight-year, $16 million per season deal ($128M contract), Guerin noted: “I know two things. That info didn’t come from us, and it didn’t come from Kirill’s agent. I don’t know where it came from.”

He said that he has a great relationship with Kirill and his agent. Speaking with 10,000 Takes, he added, “I don’t want our market to go into an all-out panic mode here. The most important thing is Kirill and not putting him in a bad spot. We love him. He’s an unbelievable player. And we want him.”

He said they get along. This is just part of the negotiating process and the Wild aren’t worried.

Guerin also told Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic:

“My job as general manager is to protect my players, and I don’t want this stuff in the public eye. That’s the way we’d like to keep it, so I’m not commenting any further on it. But I will say this: We absolutely want to keep Kirill in Minnesota.”

Is This Damage Control By the Wild and Guerin?

It’s unclear whether the concern now is that this information being out there is a significant problem or if the fact that it might be true is the bigger issue. If Kaprizov turned down $16 million per season, insiders and analysts are trying to figure out exactly what he’s looking for. Many wonder if this is a sign he’s determined to play elsewhere, and he’s going to make the Wild drastically overpay to keep him from testing free agency. Alternatively, this could have nothing to do with Minnesota and everything to do with not wanting a longer term or thinking he’ll be worth a certain amount in three or four years and giving up the right to renegotiate.

Clearly, there’s a disconnect between the team and the player. They want him locked up as long as they can, but he seems prepared to hunker down and hold out for the maximum he can get if he’s going to give up years on his career and commit today.

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