Hockey

Elliotte Friedman speaks of raiding in the Kirill Kaprizov case
Marc-Olivier Cook
Elliotte Friedman speaks of raiding in the Kirill Kaprizov case
Credit: Getty Images

Wild fans have a right to be a little worried. They can see that the Kirill Kaprizov situation is not moving forward… and even though the player says he wants to stay in Minnesota, discussions between him and the team about a contract extension are in neutral. There's no club, that said, that has the luxury of losing a player of Kaprizov's caliber. And even if there is a deal, it's (really) hard to believe that the Wild will come out on top… Elliotte Friedman spoke about the Russian's case yesterday(The FAN Hockey Show) and said something rather… interesting. In the informer's eyes, there may be some raiding techniques that have been used in the story. And Friedman has mentioned it before: if Kaprizovturned down $16 million, it's probably because he knows another team is ready to offer even more money…

It reminds me of the Mitch Marner/Golden Knights situation this summer… In all this, one thing must be remembered: people talk to each other in the NHL.An agent can talk to a GM… and he can easily put in a good word for someone without it being difficult. Is that what's happening right now with Kaprizov?But… technically, clubs and agents aren't allowed to do that. A player under contract to one club can't negotiate or talk with other NHL teams, and there are consequences for when that happens. That may explain, though, why Kaprizov hasn't signed his contract yet. Because turning down a $16-million-a-year deal is really hard to explain… especially for a 28-year-old player who has the opportunity to secure his financial future. There are two options, as I see it: either Kaprizov is sick of playing in Minnesota… or he knows there's a bigger offer waiting for him elsewhere in the NHL. And if it's the latter, Friedman is right to call this a raid

'Overtime'

– I love it.

– What do we think?

– I'm scared.

– Great news.

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