Kirill Kaprizov's jump in salary was anything but minor. After his first year in the league, where he made just over $1.3 million as a rookie, Kaprizov signed a five year deal with with the Minnesota Wild with an AAV of $9 million. While he was named Rookie of the Year, Kaprizov is 24 years old and had already ripped it up in the KHL before coming to North America, so there's a very good chance he lives up to his contract. However, it appears not everyone seems to feel he's earned it.
The LA Kings took on the Wild Saturday night. Before the game took place, a video was recorded where Kings' players were asked their thoughts on Kaprizov. Terms like "star", "talented" and "hard to hit" were used. As for LA's
Drew Doughty, he seems to think Kaprizov got his big contract a little too quickly.
"I was gonna say overpaid for 45 games in the league but...," Doughty said while smiling.
And that's where the clip cuts off. Here it is. You can see Doughty's comment at around 54 seconds in.
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Kaprizov actually played 55 regular season games last year, scoring 27 goals and 51 points. He played in another seven playoffs games, putting up two goals and an assist. If he were younger, his new contract would likely be considered a bigger risk. However, given how he's played in the KHL and his first season in the NHL, his $9 million per season seems like fair market value. Whether Doughty was joking or just trying to stir the pot isn't exactly clear.
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