- The Wild will be eligible to sign star winger Kirill Kaprizov to an extension as of July 1st and owner Craig Leipold has previously said they’ll pay whatever is necessary to keep him. But as John Shipley of the Pioneer Press notes, that alone might not be enough. Kaprizov is in line for what will be a record-setting contract handed out to a winger and he can get that from Minnesota and likely several other teams if he was to get to unrestricted free agency. Given that the Wild have yet to have much playoff success – they’ve lost in eight straight first rounds in ten years, the first team of the four major North American sports leagues to have that happen to them – it’s possible that Kaprizov might want to see what other opportunities await him and if there’s a better chance to play for a contending squad. On the other hand, the Wild have much more cap flexibility to play with this summer and will surely be looking to try to make their roster look more like a contender.