Wild owner ready to splurge with cap space, extend Kaprizov next summer

[Brewin Flames]

Wild owner ready to splurge with cap space, extend Kaprizov next summer

 

 

 

 

TSN.ca Staff

Published Oct 02, 2024 at 09:06 AM ET

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While the NHL salary cap appears slated for a jump next summer(opens in a new tab), the Minnesota Wild will be flush with more than $13 million cleared by a drop in dead cap space on their books.

 

The Wild have $14.7 million in dead cap this season as a result of their buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in 2021. Their combined cap hits will drop to just $1.67 million next season and Wild owner Craig Leipold is ready to start spending.

 

“Next July 1 is going to be like Christmas,” Leipold told Michael Russo of The Athletic(opens in a new tab). “We’re going to have money available. We’re going to have the resources available to do what we need to do to get back to Wild hockey. And we’re looking forward to that. We look at who could be available next year. You’re going to ask me, who are those players? I won’t tell you.

 

 

“But we know who they are, and we don’t know whether they’ll end up signing with their current teams or they become UFAs. But we’ve got a list, and if they’re available, we’re going to go after them. And we feel like we’re going to be able to get one or two really good players to add on to this team.”

 

While the Wild plan to active in free agency, the team's top priority will be signing star forward Kirill Kaprizov to an extension when he becomes eligible on July 1.

 

The 27-year-old winger is signed through the 2025-26 season at a cap hit of $9 million. He reached the 40-goal mark for the third straight time last season, posting 46 goals and 96 points in 75 games. He was listed at No. 15 on TSN's Top 50 Players list(opens in a new tab) for the upcoming season.

 

Leipold vowed to Russo that the Wild will not be outbid for the Russian's services and their focus will be on building a winner around him. 

 

“So what does he want? He wants to win.” Leipold said. “So we have to prove to not only to him, but to other UFAs that we also want to win. And we’re used to winning. This is the State of Hockey, and we’re going to get back to the winning ways. We’re going to get a perennial playoff team, but it does start with Kirill. He’s going to be the focus of what we’re going to do.

 

We plan to re-sign him.

 

“I will tell you nobody will offer more money than us, or longer. So all we have to do is prove to him that we want to win.”

 

Minnesota missed the playoffs for just the second time in the past 12 seasons last year. The team, however, has not won a playoff round since 2015. 

[radoran]

3 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

“So we have to prove to not only to him, but to other UFAs that we also want to win. And we’re used to winning. This is the State of Hockey, and we’re going to get back to the winning ways."

 

The Wild have been past the first round three times in their history.

 

The last time was 2015.

 

They've won six games after the first round. Ever.

 

3 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

We’re going to get a perennial playoff team

 

The Wild have made the playoffs 10 of the past 12 years.

 

They haven't missed consecutive years since 2012.

They haven't picked higher than 7th since 2005.

 

3 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

"So all we have to do is prove to him that we want to win.”

 

No, you need to prove to him that you can win. Everybody wants to win. Are you willing to do what it takes to do it?

 

And the unfortunate fact is that that might involve not keeping Kiril Kaprizov.

 

3 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

“We’re going to have money available. We’re going to have the resources available to do what we need to do to get back to Wild hockey. And we’re looking forward to that. We look at who could be available next year. You’re going to ask me, who are those players? I won’t tell you."

 

His last great swing was Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

 

He is still paying those players not to play for him and he can't wait to run and do it again.

 

 

This line of thinking from owners is what absolutely dooms franchises to a mediocre bubble playoff team lifetime.

Edited Wednesday at 08:35 PM by radoran

[Confrontational]

^ Ha, I read that the same way...

 

And this: “I will tell you nobody will offer more money than us, or longer. So all we have to do is prove to him that we want to win.”

 

Who in the bloody hell says that...? If I'm Krill, I'm shopping other teams hard, and no matter what, that comment is staying in the back of my mind, and it isn't anywhere near $9M...

 

And bet your ass Craig will do anything to get him - including sacraficing his ability to get other key pieces...  Zach and Ryan situation 2.0... Instead, he could have just shut his mouth and said something broader like: "We want to fill in some key positions, in addition to Krill, to make sure our team is potent each and every game. We want to win - our fans want us to win. It's our time to step up and make that happen by getting critical people in place in positions they can thrive in."

 

But nope - instead he chose - my translation: "We're desperate AF and we're willing to throw everythign at Krill if we have to - without him our ship sinks and nobody wants to play for a team with nobody to build around - if Krill asked me right now - I'd give all the savings to him alone and sign him to a 13 year contract - I don't care if he's the only one on our team - I'll cut the entire coaching staff to get him - and give him my helicopter."  

 

 

And now he has less leverage and bargaining power...  Jeeezus, and this guy ran companies...?

Edited Thursday at 01:59 PM by Confrontational

[Alexandron]

To build around him a team we should give him a Captain position too. For most teams the main key player usually is a Captain. 

[IllaZilla]

Well, truly, I think the Parise and Suter contracts were to get a Winter Classic. During the 2011 Entry Draft Leipold kept badgering Butthead about getting a Winter Classic, and Butthead basically told him to get some stars on the roster and then they'll talk. So he threw money at a couple of prima donnas and got his Winter Classic in 2022. Ironically after the team had bought them out...

 

I like Leipold as an owner in the fact he wants to win and isn't afraid to spend money. But he has a tendency to be a fanboy get involved with hockey operations a little too much for my liking. He can tell Kaprizov's agent that they are willing to do whatever it takes to sign Kaprizov privately. He didn't need to blab it to the rest of the league. 

 

We'll see. They are going all in on a bunch of older players who were all hurt last season and banking that they all stay healthy. But even healthy, I don't see this team doing any damage in the Playoffs. If they make the Playoffs...

[jammer2]

3 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

Well, truly, I think the Parise and Suter contracts were to get a Winter Classic. During the 2011 Entry Draft Leipold kept badgering Butthead about getting a Winter Classic, and Butthead basically told him to get some stars on the roster and then they'll talk. So he threw money at a couple of prima donnas and got his Winter Classic in 2022. Ironically after the team had bought them out...

 

I like Leipold as an owner in the fact he wants to win and isn't afraid to spend money. But he has a tendency to be a fanboy get involved with hockey operations a little too much for my liking. He can tell Kaprizov's agent that they are willing to do whatever it takes to sign Kaprizov privately. He didn't need to blab it to the rest of the league. 

 

We'll see. They are going all in on a bunch of older players who were all hurt last season and banking that they all stay healthy. But even healthy, I don't see this team doing any damage in the Playoffs. If they make the Playoffs...

If he actually signed 2 over the hill guys to monstrous deals to get a Winter Classic (lmao), he deserved the inevitable outcome. 

[radoran]

1 hour ago, jammer2 said:

If he actually signed 2 over the hill guys to monstrous deals to get a Winter Classic (lmao), he deserved the inevitable outcome. 

 

These are the "justifications" for things turning out just like, well, Chuck Fletcher would have them turn out.

 

You need something next year? Well, sign them to a max length deal.

 

You want a shiny shiny game for your ego in a couple years? Sign two guys for 13 years apiece.

 

It's why that approach never works.

 

It's not hard to see why the Wild are stuck where they are. Their owner stubbornly insists that they keep spinning the wheels as fast as possible to get nowhere.

 

I might refer you to a certain hockey executive who believed in "spending to the cap every year" and "making the playoffs because anything can happen" who led the Flyers for the better part of the worst period of hockey in the organization's history, but you knew that already.

 

But this time it'll definitely work!

 

Actual photo of Leipold explaining his vision to Wild fans.

[IllaZilla]

@radoran The Wild are stuck where they are because they refuse to rebuild. They keep trying for the playoffs, get bounced in the first round, and end up with a draft pick in the 15-20 range. So they get a nice player who is generally 2-3 years out. While waiting for this nice player to develop, they continue to try for the playoffs, once again getting bounced in the first round. So they get another 15-20 pick. 

 

It's just this cycle of mediocrity that they refuse to get out of because the owner wants that Playoff money.

[radoran]

38 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

@radoran The Wild are stuck where they are because they refuse to rebuild. They keep trying for the playoffs, get bounced in the first round, and end up with a draft pick in the 15-20 range. So they get a nice player who is generally 2-3 years out. While waiting for this nice player to develop, they continue to try for the playoffs, once again getting bounced in the first round. So they get another 15-20 pick. 

 

It's just this cycle of mediocrity that they refuse to get out of because the owner wants that Playoff money.