Speaking on the first day of training camp Thursday, Kirill Kaprizov said he likes living and playing hockey in Minnesota, calling it his second home.

Surrounded by a media scrum following the team’s first official skate at TRIA Rink, Kaprizov told reporters, “I love Minny. I like (the) fans, organization, guys on the team and living here. … I would say it’s like my second home because I play here already five years and I always come back here and enjoy doing it here.”

This, of course, raises the question: Why did Kaprizov and his agent Paul Theofanous turn down a contract extension that what would have been the largest deal in the NHL history, a reported eight-year offer worth $16 million annually?

Kaprizov, 28, declined to address his contract situation.

“My job, it’s just focused on hockey and the camp right now, and I just want to be practicing as we have a lot of time,” he said. “I just want to (be) practicing, be ready for the season and focus on this right now.”

Starting the last season of a five-year, $45 million extension he signed after his rookie contract expired, Kaprizov can only negotiate with the Wild before July 1. After that, he would be free to sign with any of the NHL’s 32 teams for as many as eight years, the league maximum.

Following a summer spent training and enjoying the outdoors in his native Russia, Kaprizov returned to Minnesota recovered from the injuries that cost him half of the 2024-25 regular season. He played in all six playoff games, though, scoring five goals despite Jan. 31 surgery to repair a lower body injury.

General manager Bill Guerin was tight-lipped about where he, Kaprizov and his representatives go from here.

“These negotiations are private. I can’t really get into it,” Guerin said. “Things are fine. The most important thing is we want to sign Kirill. He’s our franchise player. We want to keep him here. He’s a big part of our team. We’re working towards that.”

Wild newcomer Vladimir Tarasenko first came to the NHL in 2013 and joined a St. Louis Blues roster with no other Russians. He said it was hard, but it likely helped him learn English more quickly. On Thursday, Kaprizov said that having fellow Russians Tarasenko and rookie Danila Yurov on the Wild roster adds to his comfort level in the locker room, calling them his “language partners.”

With training camp underway and the regular season opener coming up in less than a month, Kaprizov’s words Thursday might provide fans with hope that holdup is about economics and not environment.

Zuccarello shelved at the start

The appearance of Jonas Brodin on the ice with the Group A at the start of training camp was a pleasant surprise for the fans in attendance after Wild coach John Hynes said he didn’t expect the veteran defenseman to be available this month — although Hynes and Guerin said his ice time currently limited and without contact.

On the opposite side of that good news was the absence of veteran forward Mats Zuccarello. Guerin said that an injury has emerged in recent days and Zuccarello may miss the start of the regular season.

“Something’s come up with him where he may be out for a little while,” Guerin said, adding that the undisclosed injury happened in recent weeks, likely while Wild players were skating on their own.

Zuccarello, who turned 38 on Sept. 1, had 54 points in 69 games last season, but missed a month after getting hit below the belt by a teammates’ shot in a mid November game.

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