4 NHL Trade Packages for Kirill Kaprizov amid Rumors

There's no perfect universe where trading forward Kirill Kaprizov is something that Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin wants to do. But when your star player turns down a contract — 8 years, $128 million — that would've been the largest in NHL history, what else can you do?

Obviously, the ideal landing spot for Kaprizov would be right back on the Wild to chase the Stanley Cup. We're just looking at potential landing spots in case that isn't an option.

It's so tempting to dream up pie-in-the-sky deals when brainstorming trade packages for someone as talented as Kirill Kaprizov, and I admit that the ones in this piece range from that type to potential underpay. That's because in real life, particularly in today's NHL, trade returns for high-value players are rarely what they seem like they "should" be. There are so many limiting factors: what other teams' cap situations look like, what other teams' prospect pools look like, what the trading team can afford to take on — you guys know the drill. 

Each of these proposed deals would likely involve some smaller throw-in pieces — later-round picks, for example, or AHL players or lower-level prospects — to make cap dollars and contract numbers work precisely. I've focused on the main pieces of the potential trades here, and I've tried to include several stops along the "Would someone consider this return good?" scale for realism's sake.

With that in mind, let's get to the trade offers.

The Trade Offer: Teuvo Teravainen, Oliver Moore, and Either a 1st or 2nd-Round Pick

Reasoning Why: Landing in Chicago would put Kaprizov in the mix with Connor Bedard and would give a much-needed boost to the Blackhawks' attempts to climb out of the depths of despair they've been stuck in.

Going back the other way, you have to think that Guerin would insist on a high-value prospect at the very least, and the speedy and talented Oliver Moore came up right in his backyard at the University of Minnesota. Moore has since turned pro, giving Guerin some surety he wouldn't have if Moore were still in the NCAA. 

In terms of a player to help the Wild now, Teuvo Teravainen has some life in him yet (that feels like an absurd thing to say about a 31-year-old, but we all know how aging works in hockey). The likely Olympian is still a fairly prolific scorer and will help replace some of Kaprizov's point totals.

I waffled whether the pick in this deal would be a 2026 1st or whether it would be a second-rounder. The dream scenario is the first-round pick, and for Kaprizov's talent, you'd think it should be, right? But the way things work in the NHL, it would probably end up being a second-round pick.

The Trade Offer: Alexis Lafreniere, a first-round pick and various lower-round picks

Reasoning Why: No, before you throw a fit, this would not be a one-player-for-one-player deal. But forward Alexis Lafreniere would be the centerpiece, with a 2026 first-rounder likely thrown in, because they technically have two—their own and a conditional one from the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the K'Andre Miller trade. 

It's a new regime in New York this season, with Mike Sullivan arriving from Pittsburgh to be the head coach and J.T. Miller being named captain — both strong signals of where the team is likely headed. The Rangers like marquee names and flash, and I've wondered for a while if Lafreniere might want or need a fresh start somewhere. Being part of a Kaprizov trade just might do the trick. Sure, you're not getting back the exact same scoring value, but let's be real. This is Kaprizov. You were never going to. But Lafreniere has become quite useful in recent years, and a new environment could be the jolt he needs. He's only 23 years old, after all. 

This trade would definitely require a few lower picks as well as some money moved around, since the Rangers don't quite have the cap space to take on Kaprizov's current contract, but if they want it badly enough, they'll make it happen.

Another option, rather than Lafreniere, could be Mika Zibanejad—he would also take more money off the Rangers' books than Lafreniere—but I imagine Guerin would want to go younger where he can.

The Trade Offer: Igor Chernyshov, Alexander Wennberg, and First-Round Pick

Reasoning Why: Igor Chernyshov isn't Kirill Kaprizov, but he's damn good and he's only 19. If I knew I was going to lose my star forward regardless, and I was playing the long game, this is the kind of player I would definitely target.

Chernyshov's skating and anticipation allow him to stymie opponents to both score and set up teammates, and I think I'd take a swing on him as a future building block of my team. And with the blocks the Sharks have been building up, they can afford to let one go.

Alexander Wennberg fills the "proven guy to help now" role, and although he may not be a flashy scorer, his vision and hockey sense still make him a valuable addition.

The pick in this trade is likely a 2026 first-round selection, and then there would be some moving parts. You could swap Chernyshov for Sam Dickinson if the Wild were to decide they would rather have a defensive prospect, or maybe Quentin Musty if they wanted a different forward. You could swap Alex Wennberg for Barclay Goodrow in terms of "guys who can contribute but don't hit the cap too heavy" (and I think with Chernyshov as the main piece, you could go with a slightly lower-scoring guy for this one).

In a universe where he isn't such a mentor to Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli could be that guy, but in this universe, he brings that value as well as any on-ice value. But the core idea of the trade would remain the same.

The Trade Offer: Andrei Svechnikov, Ryan Suzuki, and 1st-Round Pick

The Reasoning Why: Why wouldn't the Carolina Hurricanes want to risk adding to the train of "players we traded for and ultimately couldn't sign before they went to free agency"? Third time's the charm, right? Jake Guentzel didn't work, Mikko Rantanen didn't work, but perhaps Kirill Kaprizov will. Hey, you never know.

In this hypothetical trade, I imagine the Wild will want Sebastian Aho — and who wouldn't — but Aho has a full no-movement clause. Teammate Andrei Svechnikov, on the other hand, has a limited 10-team list when it comes to trades he can block. Losing Svechnikov to acquire Kaprizov isn't far off from being a robbing Peter to pay Paul kind of situation, but the Hurricanes have made a run for it only to come up short for too many years in a row now, and this might be the kind of change that gets the team out of that rut and into the Stanley Cup Final. 

In terms of other moving pieces, Ryan Suzuki is a player who has dealt with injury and hasn't quite made it to the big show yet, and is someone I think of when I consider players who might need a fresh start. Sending him along to Minnesota, maybe with a first-round pick (though it couldn't be this year's) but more likely a second, would round out this trade.