The most recent speculation, from Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, is massive and could create one of the most prolific duos in league history.
Indeed, the journalist covering the Chicago Blackhawks stated in a recent episode of the podcast The Athletic Hockey Show that the Russian forward has his sights set on playing in Illinois with none other than Connor Bedard!
In recent years, the NHL has seen many excellent duos form. Just think of Crosby-Malkin, McDavid-Draisaitl, Bergeron-Marchand, or even Matthews-Marner. A Kaprizov-Bedard duo would undoubtedly join that list.
In two seasons, the Hawks' rebuild will have reached another phase. The team will even be more competitive this season, with the return to health of Taylor Hall and the additions of Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Ilya Mikheyev.
Meanwhile, the Wild seem to have entered a more difficult phase. They missed the playoffs last season, and returning to the postseason in 2024-2025 will be very challenging in a highly competitive Central Division (Colorado, Dallas, Nashville, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Chicago, Utah).
In recent days, Bill Guerin has said that he continues to evaluate his forward ahead of his next contract. He stated that he expects more from his player next year, even though Kaprizov tallied 96 points, including 46 goals, in 75 games last season.
However, it seems that the Wild GM will be ready if his player truly earns a massive contract ($100M+). He is already preparing his strategy to fit it into the lineup and salary cap.
What could help Guerin offer a big contract to Kaprizov are the contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. For the last time in 2024-2025, their buyouts will account for $14,743,590 against the team's cap. This amount could then be reserved for the Russian forward.
It will be interesting to see if the offer Guerin gives to Kaprizov will be good enough to keep him from joining a division rival and to quench his thirst to play with the Hawks' young phenomenon!
POLL | ||
28 SEPTEMBRE | 650 ANSWERS Star forward Kirill Kaprizov rumored to have chosen his next destination per Mark Lazerus Would you offer $12M per year for Kirill Kaprizov? | ||
Yes | 175 | 26.9 % |
No | 475 | 73.1 % |
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