Wild teammates confident Kaprizov will sign: 'It's going to take time'

The Minnesota Wild's leadership group isn't worried about Kirill Kaprizov's contract saga resulting in anything other than an extension in the Twin Cities.

"He's a franchise player," alternate captain Marcus Foligno told The Athletic's Joe Smith. "He's so special, and those guys, you can't let go, right? It's going to take time. You look at a lot of the superstars in the league. It's going to take time. (There are) things they have to go back and forth with. We're positive that he'll be around, knowing he's just focused on the next game and how to win as a team this season."

Kaprizov, who's entering the final year of his deal, became extension eligible July 1. He reportedly turned down an eight-year, $128-million deal, which would've been the richest contract in NHL history.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin refuted the report. Kaprizov hasn't commented on the situation but said in May that he loves "everything" about playing in Minnesota.

Jared Spurgeon, who's captained the Wild for the past five seasons, said the team won't be distracted if negotiations drag into the campaign.

"It's the business side of things," Spurgeon said. "It's up to (Guerin) and him to go through that stuff. It doesn't affect us. Everyone goes through it in their career. And everyone has those years where you're coming into a contract negotiation. We’d love to have him here as long as he wants."

Kaprizov is the Wild's highest-paid player with a cap hit of $9.5 million. He's registered 386 points in 319 games with the club since arriving from the KHL prior to the 2020-21 season.

Minnesota's preseason begins Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets.