Talked about in the same class of Nikita Gusev and Artemi Panarin when he first came to the NHL, Kaprizov is a dynamic game-breaker who would easily slot into a top-six forward role with the team who selected him in the fifth round (No. 135 overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Sitting in Russia for the past six seasons, the CSKA Moscow sniper lead the KHL in the last two seasons in goals with 63 in 114 games.
You can see why he's been a KHL all-star for five straight seasons.
But if the Wild do sign him to an entry-level contract, he would be ineligible to play for the remainder of the 2019-20 season, whenever and wherever that is, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.
While it would be nice to get him into their lineup this season, it does save the team from burning a year off his contract, bringing him one season closer to unrestricted free agency. Getting him for a full three seasons instead of two-and-quarter is a much more desirable option for Wild fans, but not necessarily Kaprizov himself.
GM Bill Guerin knows the possibility exists of Kaprizov re-signing in the KHL since their seasons start much earlier, Guerin remains confident the team can get a deal done.
It’s a viable concern, but I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it,” Guerin told The Athletic. “I know Kirill wants to come and play in Minnesota as soon as possible. But, I guess, I can’t say 100 percent that this won’t come into play. But he has made clear to me that he wants to be here very much."
Put him on a line with Kevin Fiala and suddenly you have yourselves a capable scoring line, that is if Kaprizov can make the adjustment to North American ice like most of the Russian transfers before him.
