$128M Star Contract Projection Emerges, Putting Brad Treliving on Notice

The 2026 class of free agents is expected to be star-studded class and barring some extensions could see the likes of Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Cale Makar, Jack Eichel and Kyle Connor become available amongst other big name stars.

Another potential free agent is phenom Kirill Kaprizov, who has emerged as a star for the Minnesota Wild, and along with guys like Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi; the future is bright.

Expected to earn a huge check when he becomes a free agent, the Wild and GM Bill Guerin would love to keep him around long-term, but it isn't going to come cheap.

According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, that number could extend far beyond what fans initially think:

That's an absurd amount that would see him earning more than Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner in only his fifth season in the NHL.

He has been fantastic though. In 319 games, Kaprizov has 386 points (185 goals, 201 assists) including a trio of consecutive 40-goal seasons. Drafted 135th overall in 2015, Kaprizov has come out of nowhere to be a top player in the league.

Which means that if the Maple Leafs are going to want to make a splash in free agency next year, it might end up costing them a ton of money and we aren't even talking McDavid numbers.

If $16-million is the number for Kaprizov, who knows how much Kucherov, Makar, or Eichel will fetch, with the potential for these players who have Stanley Cups and incredible production to earn almost $20-million per season.

It's a number that Toronto is going to have to figure out a way around, as while they have a load of cap next season, they would have to look for rookies or extremely cheap options if they went after one star; and will have 7 or 8 contracts to fill.

It also means that when Auston Matthews' contract comes around, he is going to get a huge raise (especially if he returns to form) and Toronto has to balance whether they want to keep him, or find a star now, win, then figure how to move on from their captain.

So it would behoove Brad Treliving to see how Bill Guerin works around Kaprizov's future, because he'll have to deal with something similar very soon himself.