Though it was widely expected since last month, CSKA Moscow of the KHL has finally officially announced the signing of Minnesota Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov to a three-year contract extension. The deal will expire in the spring of 2020. Interestingly there was some rumor this morning that Kaprizov refuted the fact that he had signed, leading Michael Russo of the Star Tribune to once again call the situation “shady.”
Kaprizov’s draft status as a fifth-round pick shouldn’t fool you, he’s an elite prospect who would likely step right into the Wild’s lineup if he were coming to North America. Instead, he’ll continue to develop in Russia where he dominated last season. Last year in his age-19 season he scored 42 points in 49 games and could battle for the league lead at some point during the contract. The move to a powerhouse like CSKA should help, especially if he is allowed to skate alongside Valeri Nichushkin and Maxim Shalunov. That young line could be one of the most dynamic in the league next season, and rack up points on a team that already went 44-8-8 last year.
Contracts can be bought out more easily in the KHL than in the NHL, meaning there is still a possibility that Kaprizov comes over to the Wild before 2020. Just as likely though is that he stays in Russia for a good part of his career, and only comes across at a later time. Since there is no transfer agreement in place between the two leagues, Minnesota will hold his draft rights in perpetuity.
It will be interesting to see if Kaprizov makes the Russian Olympic team, after he captained the World Junior team to a bronze medal last year. His nine goals and 12 points both led the tournament, and he could easily find himself contributing even alongside players like Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk.