Name: What’s up with Kirill Kaprizov? Positive steps, hang-ups and options for the Wild
Brand: theathletic.com
SKU: theathletic-com-28
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

What’s up with Kirill Kaprizov? Positive steps, hang-ups and options for the Wild

preview

May 19, 2020What’s going on with Kirill Kaprizov, the KHL highlight machine, Olympic hero and long considered one of the best hockey players in the world not in the NHL?This has been the question asked ad nauseam by fans for years, but especially since the KHL suspended its season April 10 and undoubtedly in the with the Wild.Well, we’re here to try to provide as much clarity as to what’s going on behind the scenes as we can.First of all, good news — kinda, sorta.Over the past 24 hours, there have been a number of positive developments as Kaprizov tries to conclude an agreement with his eventual NHL team.According to multiple sources, things have moved in such a good direction that if Kaprizov knew once and for all he would be allowed to debut this summer — assuming the 2019-20 season resumes at all — he’d be an electronic signature away from making his two-year entry-level contract official.That’s how much the KHL’s two-time leading goal-scorer wants to finally sign and start this next chapter in his already impressive career.But, despite all of the work being done behind the scenes, the Wild and Kaprizov remain in a frustrating holding pattern.If someone asks you how good is Kirill Kaprizov, just show them this.— KHL (@khl_eng)In a normal situation, if the Wild were still alive in the playoffs, Kaprizov would be eligible to sign and debut immediately because he’s an unsigned draft pick on the team’s reserve list.Stuff like that always happens.In 2012, signed out of Boston College and joined the New York Rangers in the playoffs. Last April, Hobey Baker winner signed with Colorado in the second round of the playoffs after UMass lost in the Frozen Four final. also signed with the in the middle of last year’s playoffs even though he never played a game for them.So, the Wild and Kaprizov believe it’s only fair that this should be the case if this season resumes in July. Right now, the NHL’s Return to Play Committee is negotiating the return of 24 teams this summer that would whittle down to a 16-team playoff.However, after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the NHL to suspend its season March 12, the league altered its longstanding “reserve list” rule and prohibited any contract to be signed with a 2019-20 start date. , a well-placed league source said there’s likely “zero chance” that the NHL will change its mind if the season resumes.Deputy commissioner Bill Daly has made that clear to the Wild, sources say.This only affects a handful of players, guys like Montreal’s , Florida’s , the Islanders’ , Chicago’s and .So, why is the league being so stubborn?It’s already dealing with all sorts of challenges that make restarting this season problematic. One is that roughly half the NHL’s 300 Europeans are across the ocean, so the league has to figure out a way to get them back to North America, test them and then have them quarantined for two weeks before allowing them into team facilities.It does not want to further complicate matters by allowing teams to debut players that would otherwise not be able to play. In other words, in normal times, hockey wouldn’t be played over the summer, so these players wouldn’t get to play at this time of year.Of course, the same could be said for established players like Pittsburgh’s , who was thought to have a season-ending injury. But, in July, Guentzel could be healthy enough to give the a serious boost.But the NHL’s position is that teams have already been set for this season and it would be unfair to allow clubs to have open access to bring in potential impact players like Kaprizov.So right now, the only option for the Wild is to wait.Wait, and hope that the more they talk to the NHL and the more the NHLPA campaigns on behalf of Kaprizov and the other players that the league will be convinced to change its mind.After all, again, if this was May 1 and the Wild were alive, Kaprizov would be eligible to burn the first year of his deal and debut.But as general manager Bill Guerin told The Athletic last week, he’s not expecting the league to change its mind and sources continue to tell The Athletic that it’s very unlikely.“Kirill is aware of (the NHL’s likely decision), but we haven’t heard 100 percent ‘no’ and we haven’t heard 100 percent ‘yes’ (on the 2019-20 season),” Guerin said then. “More than likely, he won’t be able to play this summer, but until it’s a 100 percent ‘no,’ there’s really no rush on his part to sign for the sake of signing. Kirill just wants to know.”Well, this puts the Wild in a truly precarious position.Kaprizov fully intends to sign and wants to come to the Twin Cities as soon as possible. But if he’s not allowed to sign until next season and “next season” doesn’t start until December, well, no horse wants to stand in his stall and not run for six months.So, if Kaprizov doesn’t want to wait until December to play hockey and the KHL does start on time, the Wild run the risk of him re-signing in the KHL for a year. That would mean the Wild could lose another precious year of Kaprizov’s career.Once Kaprizov signs, he can become an unrestricted free agent when he’s 27 years old in the summer of 2024. So the Wild fully expect that they’ll need to re-sign Kaprizov to a very lucrative second contract when he’s eligible.What are the alternatives if Kaprizov can’t play this summer?One is to “loan” him to CSKA Moscow.In other words, instead of Kaprizov succumbing to the pressure that’s surely there right now and re-signing with CSKA Moscow for a year, he can sign with the Wild for the 2020-21 season but the Wild could “loan” him to Moscow until the Wild’s eventual 2020-21 training camp begins.That gets dicey because the Wild will have to trust that Kaprizov will be permitted to leave in the middle of Moscow’s season when there will certainly be pressure for him to stay.There is no transfer agreement between the NHL and the KHL, so even though this loan scenario typically would be permitted, there’d be nothing forcing the KHL to abide by the pact.Theoretically, the Wild could loan Kaprizov to play anywhere. For instance, the Swedish Elite League may start on time, but if the KHL is playing at the time, Kaprizov signing in Sweden rather than the Red Army team probably wouldn’t go over well for future international team service.Another option is for Kaprizov to simply sign for the 2020-21 season, get his work visa and come over to the United States as soon as possible to spend as much time in the Twin Cities as possible to get accustomed to his new team, lifestyle and U.S. culture.The Wild and Kaprizov, sources say, are investigating if he’d at least be allowed to skate with the Wild when rosters expand this summer for the 2019-20 resumption.The third option won’t sit well with the Wild, their anxious fans, and even Kaprizov himself. And that’s to wait a year.One wrinkle is that once Jan. 1 passes, Kaprizov will be in his 24-year-old year even though he doesn’t turn 24 until April 26. That means he would only be able to sign a one-year entry-level contract, not a two-year deal.Right now, both sides are waiting for a final resolution before potentially having to decide on the above multiple options.When it came to Romanov, Denisenko, Mitchell and Perunovich, their that the players “agreed to terms” on contracts with an unknown start date. were worded that way because it was in direct contradiction to the league mandating that no contracts could be signed for 2019-20.While those teams wanted to give themselves insurance in case the NHL ultimately changes its mind during what’s believed to be soon-to-be-announced return-to-play rules, none of the “agreed to terms” contracts have been allowed to be submitted to Central Registry with that terminology.Their contracts can only begin in 2020-21, the league maintains.This is why the Wild and Kaprizov are in a holding pattern.Even though Kaprizov is ready to sign, the Wild are not going to defy league rules and announce he has agreed to terms on two separate two-year contracts, one where he burns the first year this summer.So, the eternal Kaprizov saga will likely drag on a little longer.(Top photo: Sergei Savostyanov / TASS via Getty Images)

May 19, 2020What’s going on with Kirill Kaprizov, the KHL highlight machine, Olympic hero and long considered one of the best hockey players in the world not in the NHL?This has been the question asked ad nauseam by fans for years, but especially since the KHL suspended its season April 10 and undoubtedly in the with the Wild.Well, we’re here to try to provide as much clarity as to what’s going on behind the scenes as we can.First of all, good news — kinda, sorta.Over the past 24 hours, there have been a number of positive developments as Kaprizov tries to conclude an agreement with his...

public

Michael Russo

Get every sports story that matters. Download The Athletic app: https://linktr.ee/TheAthletic

What’s up with Kirill Kaprizov? Positive steps, hang-ups and options for the Wild

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS