Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin doesn't regret giving Kirill Kaprizov a big deal, even though Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, two other stars of the same caliber, accepted less money for their new contracts in the days that followed.
Kaprizov, 28, signed a record eight-year deal with the Wild just over a week ago worth an average of $17 million per year ($136 million total).
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Days later, McDavid, considered the NHL's top forward, agreed to a two-year, $12.5 million-a-year contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Eichel, in turn, will earn $13.5 million annually for eight years in the Vegas Golden Knights' next season.
Guerin could look at all this and say to himself that perhaps he overpaid Kaprizov after all, but that is not his way of looking at things.
“This is why Kirill is valuable to us,” he said during interview with The Athletic magazine. “And we couldn't risk letting him go. It's good for other teams, but it's also very good for us that we'll have him for nine years.”
“Yes, Jack [Eichel] is $13.5 million, which is very good,” he continued. – But Kirill is no less important for us. […] The worst possible scenario was that he left. It's much worse than paying $17 million for it.”
Kaprizov finally signed a contract in late September, turning down an initial offer of $16 million per year. McDavid, for his part, has bluntly admitted that he agreed to a slightly smaller amount of money for a few fewer years to give the Oilers a better chance to win now.
Eichel, for his part, is having a great time in Nevada and thanked his bosses with a four-point performance Wednesday night.
