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RE: Wild 2021 Post Mortem Offseason and Draft

 
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RE: Wild 2021 Post Mortem Offseason and Draft - 9/22/2021 8:39:48 AM   
TJSweens


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Phil Riewer

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

Theofanous tried to play a hard core game of chicken šŸ” and Guerin didn't blink. Never got irritable. Stuck to his "these things take time " mantra. Got the deal done with no antagonism, no hard feelings, no war of words. His first high profile contract negotiation is a complete success.


Read on The Athletic that the contract sat for 6 weeks at least and the only thing that changed was that the last two years of it has a no trade clause. The agent supposedly worked the a 7/81.5 deal with Panarin after a two year bridge contract similar to how he started out as a rookie but Guerin didn't budge.

Guerin wanted a 7-8 year deal at 9 per and the agent wanted a shorter bridge deal. So it is a win for both sides.

Most importantly, 9 Mill Kirill is under contract past the point where the Parise / Suter cap hit drops from $14,743,588 M to $1.67 M. In fact, the only Wild players under contract at that time are Spurgeon, Brodin and Eriksson Ek. If Guerin is smart with contracts between now and then, there should be plenty of room to accommodate Panarin type money if that's what he deserves.

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Post #: 326
RE: Wild 2021 Post Mortem Offseason and Draft - 9/22/2021 2:05:58 PM   
kgdabom

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

Theofanous tried to play a hard core game of chicken šŸ” and Guerin didn't blink. Never got irritable. Stuck to his "these things take time " mantra. Got the deal done with no antagonism, no hard feelings, no war of words. His first high profile contract negotiation is a complete success.



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Post #: 327
RE: Wild 2021 Post Mortem Offseason and Draft - 9/22/2021 7:51:11 PM   
stfrank

 

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From Russo on The Athletic:

Behind the scenes of how the Wild re-signed Kirill Kaprizov and why he was in Florida


By Michael Russo 2h ago 58
Bill Guerin was in a meeting with his coaches Monday when he got a call from Paul Theofanous.

Guerin texted back, ā€œCanā€™t talk, Iā€™m in a meeting.ā€

Kirill Kapizovā€™s agent wrote back: ā€œYou should step out.ā€

The Wild general manager did just that.

Guerin called back, and Theofanous said, ā€œHey, look, I think itā€™s time we get together.ā€

ā€œIā€™ll see you tonight,ā€ Guerin replied.

Guerin immediately headed to the airport for a flight to South Florida. A few days earlier, Guerin learned that Kaprizov had secretly flown to Miami, where he would quarantine, receive an NHL-authorized COVID-19 vaccine and wait until his contract was finalized so he hopefully would not miss training camp, which officially began Wednesday with on-ice sessions beginning Thursday.

ā€œI think some people thought I might be mad because he didnā€™t tell me that he was coming over,ā€ Guerin said. ā€œThey were not obligated to tell me. Thatā€™s fine, they donā€™t need to tell me anything. I donā€™t care. I was just happy that he was in the country and happy that he was vaccinated.

ā€œI give Kirill and his agent a lot of credit for planning ahead and planning for the future and getting here with ample time to quarantine and get vaccinated and do all the things that wouldā€™ve really taken weeks. When I found out, I was thrilled. So, it was an easy trip for me to make.ā€

Monday night, Kaprizov, Theofanous and Guerin had dinner on South Beach.

On Tuesday morning, Guerin and Theofanous had breakfast, then the three reconvened in the afternoon to grind out the final details of an eventual five-year, $45 million contract that makes the young star and 2021 Calder Trophy winner the highest-paid player in franchise history.

The deal features no signing bonuses; a full no-trade clause in the fourth and fifth years; and a pay structure of $5 million, $10 million, $12.5 million, $10 million and $7.5 million.

By the time the parties shook hands and put pen to paper on the final agreement, Guerin and Kaprizov had a 2 Ā½-hour window because of weather to get to a private plane that was 50 miles north in Boca Raton for a flight to Minneapolis.

They apparently almost didnā€™t make it.

ā€œThe plane ride was good, right?ā€ Guerin, turning to Kaprizov, asked with a smile. ā€œHe spoke English to me the whole time, by the way ā€” the 3 Ā½ hour flight. He used a little bit of Google Translate, but we had a great flight. We got caught up on a lot of different things, but it was all about just moving forward.ā€


During a light-hearted, at times laugh-out-loud funny news conference, the hard feelings that may have been triggered during the at times contentious contract talks between Guerin and Theofanous were long gone.

Guerin, who just nine days earlier in an interview with The Athletic was exasperated with how negotiations were going, was cracking jokes left and right, like when the 2018 Olympic hero for Russia was asked about the Olympics.

Kaprizov gave a long diatribe in Russian and Guerin, who doubles as the United Statesā€™ assistant GM, cracked, ā€œWeā€™re coming after you guys. I know what you just said.ā€

Or, when Kaprizov was asked about whether the threat of him re-signing with CSKA Moscow was legitimate and he uttered, ā€œNo chance.ā€ Guerin chimed in with some advice, saying, ā€œYou shouldnā€™t answer that. Youā€™re going to blow it for next (contract negotiation.)ā€

Luckily, for everybodyā€™s benefit that wonā€™t be for another four (when an extension is permitted) or five years.

ā€œObviously, it was stressful,ā€ Kaprizov said through a translator. ā€œThe whole process was hard. Coming out of last season, I thought things would get done a little bit quicker. But these things take time. I completely understand. Iā€™m really happy that Iā€™m here now and I can just focus on hockey. Obviously extremely happy to be a part of the Minnesota Wild.ā€

What was truly neat about the press conference, this was the first time the local media was able to interview last yearā€™s leading scorer and budding star face-to-face.

He signed last summer in the middle of a pandemic and was forced to quarantine his entire time in Minnesota. Then, during his rookie year, the team had to be covered virtually via Zoom.

Not only was the bubbly, often-smiling Kaprizov there in front of reporters in real life, he showed how much his English has improved by answering a handful of questions in English.

The best?

What every Wild fan and, to be blunt, management had to love to hear.

He said he doesnā€™t feel one iota of pressure by playing 55 games in the NHL and being awarded as the ninth-highest paid winger in the NHL and the highest-paid player in NHL history with this little NHL experience.

ā€œNah, thereā€™s not pressure, because now itā€™s easy for me when I signed,ā€ Kaprizov said in English. ā€œNow I just want to play. You know, itā€™s like, ā€˜Whew.ā€™ Itā€™s hockey.ā€

That comment, again, in English, was proof positive of the it factor that Guerin always says Kaprizov has that is simply unlike most players who have donned a Wild sweater.

For a guy who has barely had a cup of coffee in the NHL to feel comfortable enough to walk into the dressing room as a $9 million a year player just shows the swagger this talent has.

After all, this is a player who has excelled everywhere heā€™s been, from international tournaments like the World Junior Championship and the Olympics; to the KHL where he led the league in goal scoring twice and won a championship; to obviously the NHL where he scored in overtime of his NHL debut, led all rookies in numerous statistical categories, and rewrote the Wildā€™s rookie record book highlighted 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games.

ā€œI think heā€™s just one of those guys, heā€™s gonna play the same whether he makes his entry-level salary or $9 million a year,ā€ Guerin said. ā€œHeā€™s just gonna play. Thereā€™s an inner confidence with him that not everybody has. I think he just really believes in himself and heā€™ll go and perform.ā€

But, still, Guerin said the face-to-face meeting where he and Kaprizov could simply look each other in the eyes was the necessary final step to conclude a contract that sources say has been on the table for weeks.

ā€œItā€™s easy to be tough on people over the phone and over a Zoom call or something like that,ā€ Guerin said. ā€œBut you canā€™t beat meeting in person.ā€

Added the gregarious Kaprizov, ā€œI had a smile the whole time. I couldnā€™t really get it off my face. It was great to see him in person, so I was very happy the two days, and I thought negotiations went really well.ā€

There was no explanation as to why it took the pressure point of the start of training camp for Kaprizov to finally agree to the contract.

Maybe Kaprizov just wanted to hear from Guerin why the Wild refused to sign him for fewer than five years.

Maybe Kaprizov wanted to hear from Guerin why the Wild refused to give a nickel in signing bonuses.

Maybe Kaprizov wanted to hear from Guerin how he plans to build a Stanley Cup contender.

Guerin wouldnā€™t get into the specifics of what was discussed, but from somebody who twice held out as a player, Guerin said he never held any grudges and understood all along that Kaprizov probably just needed to hear from him.

Unfortunately, Guerin said that in the midst of a pandemic with Kaprizov back home, alternating between his apartment in Moscow and home in Siberia, meeting sooner was pretty impossible.

ā€œI wouldā€™ve gone,ā€ Guerin said, turning to Kaprizov.

ā€œItā€™s just not that easy when youā€™re the player,ā€ Guerin explained. ā€œYou want to know why you canā€™t get certain things, you want to know why the team wants to do certain ways. And thatā€™s not always clear. I think him just hearing it from me, face to face, was really important. Now heā€™s like, ā€˜OK, heā€™s telling me, not my agent,ā€™ like, this is real. But I can also explain to him from where Iā€™m coming from. And, like I said, itā€™s important for me too to understand where heā€™s coming from.ā€

Guerin has admitted he never imagined heā€™d be paying Kaprizov $9 million a year on a mid-range contract.

Eight years, yes.

Five years, no.

ā€œThat was the hard thing because there were not a lot of comps,ā€ Guerin said. ā€œWe could kind of see where we thought he would fit if he had been here for longer, but some guys had 100 games before they got their big deal. Most guys had 250 to 300 or 320, something like that, before they got paid like this. So we tried to just kind of forecast on what we think heā€™s going to be.

ā€œThereā€™s a limit to that, but Kirillā€™s more than just on the ice. Heā€™s helped bring a new look to the Minnesota Wild. Heā€™s an exciting player, and thatā€™s worth something, too. I think heā€™s right where he should be. I think heā€™s worth every penny of this.ā€


Nine million bucks, though, is quite a commitment, especially from a team that will have $12.74 million in dead cap money in 2022-23 and $14.74 million in 2023-24 and 2024-25 for buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

ā€œIā€™m confident, but Iā€™m also realistic that there are going to be some challenges coming up,ā€ Guerin said when asked how confident he is that he can build the Wild into a winner with such limited cap space in the upcoming seasons. ā€œBut you know what? Those are the decisions that we made. ā€¦ I really do think that weā€™ll get through it. But weā€™re going to need to draft really well and develop guys and have a good influx of young players that we can afford. And theyā€™re going to have to be impactful, and theyā€™re going to get opportunities. So thereā€™s ways.ā€

One thing that did work out perfectly with Kaprizov is something the Wild seemingly didnā€™t realize until recently: Kaprizovā€™s work visa from his original contract doesnā€™t expire until Sept. 30, sources say. So, thatā€™s how he was able to get into the country without a finalized new contract. The Wild now have eight days to renew his visa.

But the initiative Kaprizov took by traveling to Florida on his own without the organization even knowing tells you everything you need to know about how much he always planned to continue playing for the Wild. Heā€™s galvanized the franchise, is a beloved teammate and a huge personality.

Itā€™s why Guerin said he never lost ā€œone ounce of sleepā€ over the alleged KHL threat.

ā€œYeah, it could be a threat with some guys. It could be legitimate,ā€ he said. ā€œBut with Kirill, I donā€™t know ā€¦ you just know. Like, he wants to be here.ā€

Kaprizov canā€™t wait to get started, to finally play an 82-game season against the entire league, see cities he has never seen before and get to see how he plays against the likes of Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Ovechkin and so many other stars.

ā€œVery much looking forward to having fans in the building and the excitement that they bring,ā€ Kaprizov said. ā€œLast year with the half season it just wasnā€™t the same. Even when we did have fans it brought something, so I canā€™t imagine what itā€™s going to be like with a full stadium and we can see all the cities and all the fans across the league.ā€

This negotiation was an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish, with Guerin admitting, ā€œSome days, thereā€™s, ā€˜Man, I thought we were right there,ā€™ and then there were other times when it was like, ā€˜Oh my God, weā€™re light-years away.ā€™

ā€œBut I knew it would eventually get done.ā€

So, after all that fretting throughout the summer, after the worry that even if Kaprizov signed on the eve of camp that heā€™d miss several days in order to get a work visa and fly from Russia to Minnesota and satisfy a seven-day quarantine and then get vaccinated, Kaprizov is signed, sealed, delivered and, most importantly, in Minnesota.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic the league has decided Kaprizov wonā€™t have to quarantine in Minnesota because he got vaccinated.

So on Thursday, when the Wild take the ice officially at TRIA Rink for the first time to commence the 2021-22 season, a jovial No. 97 will be out there skating around and probably wowing us all like usual.

ā€œI donā€™t think he regresses,ā€ Guerin said. ā€œI think itā€™s a new challenge. Heā€™s only played against seven teams in the league. And thereā€™s a whole bunch of other good teams out there and heā€™s not a secret anymore. But knowing him, knowing his character, knowing his competitiveness, heā€™ll be fine.ā€
Post #: 328
RE: Wild 2021 Post Mortem Offseason and Draft - 9/22/2021 8:05:12 PM   
stfrank

 

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Reading the latest about 9Mil and how he has been in Florida for a while so he would be ready to go once he was signed makes a fan feel better about him wanting to be here.
Let the season begin.....GO WILD!
Post #: 329
RE: Wild 2021 Post Mortem Offseason and Draft - 9/22/2021 11:41:10 PM   
Lynn G.


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Joined: 7/15/2007
Status: online
I agree. In interviews last year he always gave the impression that he wanted to be here, so it was confusing that the negotiations were taking so long. Allā€™s well that ends well.

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Post #: 330
RE: Wild 2021 Post Mortem Offseason and Draft - 9/23/2021 9:08:35 AM   
TJSweens


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Joined: 7/16/2007
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Thanks for posting that stfrank. That pretty well confirms that this was never about Kirillov wanting to play somewhere else. His comments and the fact that he wanted a no trade clause pretty well confirm that point. He has an agent, who is known for being a tough negotiator, who was going to make sure Kaprizov wasn't going to get screwed like he did by his last agent.

The circumstances of Kaprizov's status were so unique, that I am not sure anyone in NHL history has ever had them. He had technically served two years of his entry deal, but did not have the required two years of service time to be a restricted free agent. He is clearly the best player on his team and for a 55 game snapshot, could be the best player in franchise history. There is no blueprint for a GM and an agent to hammer out a deal under those circumstances.

I can't get give Guerin enough credit for how he handled things on this deal. A couple of snippets from the article are good examples of how he handled himself;;;

ā€œI think some people thought I might be mad because he didnā€™t tell me that he was coming over,ā€ Guerin said. ā€œThey were not obligated to tell me. Thatā€™s fine, they donā€™t need to tell me anything. I donā€™t care. I was just happy that he was in the country and happy that he was vaccinated.

ā€œI give Kirill and his agent a lot of credit for planning ahead and planning for the future and getting here with ample time to quarantine and get vaccinated and do all the things that wouldā€™ve really taken weeks. When I found out, I was thrilled. So, it was an easy trip for me to make.ā€


AND

ā€œItā€™s just not that easy when youā€™re the player,ā€ Guerin explained. ā€œYou want to know why you canā€™t get certain things, you want to know why the team wants to do certain ways. And thatā€™s not always clear. I think him just hearing it from me, face to face, was really important. Now heā€™s like, ā€˜OK, heā€™s telling me, not my agent,ā€™ like, this is real. But I can also explain to him from where Iā€™m coming from. And, like I said, itā€™s important for me too to understand where heā€™s coming from.ā€

The first was Guerin expressing gratitude where a lot of GMs would have been pissed off after finding out that the player had snuck into the country and that he and his agent couldn't show the courtesy of letting him know. The second is Guerin showing the empathy he has from having been through it many times as a player. Guerin just never made a wrong step publicly. He never made that statement that would stir up the fan base and give the agent leverage. Guerin just stuck with his "these things take time" mantra and was never snarky and always respectful of Kaprizov and his agent. I hope this level of professionalism is going to be the norm for this organization for a long time to come.

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Post #: 331
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