KIRILL KAPRIZOV – Page 3 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wild Contract Sit Down with Kaprizov Coming in September

Posted on August 24, 2025August 24, 2025 by David Shama

Enjoy a Sunday notes column.

Wild owner Craig Leipold told Sports Headliners superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov has been out of the country this summer but in person conversation will start next month regarding a contract extension. Leipold and general manager Bill Guerin will meet with Kaprizov who signed a five-year contract in 2021 and is eligible for an extension.

The Wild leaders have already communicated proposed contract information to Kaprizov. “All signs indicate we’re not that far apart,” Leipold said. “He’s in Russia (and) we’re going to wait until he comes back here. Let’s hope we can get something done before the season has started.”

Leipold said the Wild will offer an eight-year extension but wouldn’t identify a dollar amount. Kaprizov, 28, is among the NHL’s elite goal scorers and his next contract is certain to reflect that. Online speculation has Kaprizov receiving $14 to $15 million per season on a new deal that might make him the highest paid player in the NHL for at least a short time.

Kaprizov can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but Leipold made it clear the Wild are determined to keep him in Minnesota. The owner said he and Guerin talk all the time about the face of the franchise.

Leipold also said the Wild will continue to request financial support from the state of Minnesota for major renovations to Grand Casino Arena. Disappointed with funding efforts during the last legislative session, the Wild will now pursue $100 million from the state, plus use $200 million each from the team and city of St. Paul/Ramsey County, to spend $500 million in improvements for the 25-year-old facility. Plans are on hold for updates to the St. Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Marc-André Fleury, the Wild’s veteran goalie who retired after last season, is a Leipold favorite. Fleury, a native of Canada, is building a home in the metro area, where he and his wife will raise their family.

Leipold said Guerin “has made it known to him that we’d love to have him involved (with the organization)” when Fleury decides on his post-playing career direction.

“He is such a persona,” Leipold said of Fleury. “He is so well thought of (and) people just love this man. His family is a wonderful, beautiful family and they’re going to be a big part of the Twin Cities for many, many years. …We think that’s pretty cool.”

Pro football is a billion-dollar business with millions dedicated to scouting players. That doesn’t mean with all the technology and scouts mistakes aren’t made. The sleuths blew it, for example, in not drafting former Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer.

All 32 NFL teams passed on him last spring in the seven-round draft before the Vikings signed him as a free agent. He has wowed in training camp with his work ethic, inquisitive nature, ability to process information and decision making including under game pressure.

If he doesn’t make the team’s 53-man roster to be announced Tuesday, it will be stunning. And if he is cut by the Vikings, it’s certain another team will snatch him up as a free agent.

In last Friday night’s final exhibition game Brosmer out played his presumed rival for the third quarterback spot on the roster. Brosmer completed 15 of 23 passes, including a touchdown throw, while compiling 161 yards. Brett Rypien was seven of 14 for 62 yards, and threw an interception.

He could make the Minnesota roster as an under-the-radar rookie story that is already drawing some comparisons to Brock Purdy, the former Iowa State star who wasn’t selected until the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” for his draft position, he has been starting for the 49ers since his rookie season.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said on KFAN Radio recently about Brosmer’s splash this summer. “That kid is going to play in the NFL for 10 or 12 years. I really believe that.

“I’ve never been around a quarterback that processes the way he processes. …I am thinking when you look long term this isn’t a kid that you want to just let go and let some other team develop him and next thing you know you’re playing against him. …”

It will be interesting to see how the Vikings sort out their special teams decisions. Last season their 24.4 yards per return of kickoffs was second lowest in the NFL, while the 6.8 average on punt returns ranked last.

The Vikings got a setback when Rondale Moore, a free agent acquisition, was lost for the season earlier this summer with a knee injury. He could have contributed (perhaps dramatically) on both punt and kickoff returns.

Ryan Wright, the team’s punter the last two seasons, has been challenged in training camp by Australian newcomer Oscar Chapman. The punter puts the football in place for field goal kicker Will Reichard and Chapman didn’t help his standing when he mishandled the football on a Reichard kick Friday night.

Fleck also said on KFAN that Syracuse transfer Brady Denaburg, who will have one season of eligibility with the Gophers, will handle field goals. He won the assignment in a competition with true freshman Daniel Jackson who also ran track at Alexandria High School and has a personal best time of 10.65 in the 100 meters. Fleck teased that could prompt “fake” punts in the future, taking advantage of Jackson’s speed.

Former UCLA punter Brody Richter, who will have two seasons of eligibility with Minnesota, and Aussie native Tom Weston, with three seasons of eligibility ahead after transferring from Ouachita Baptist, are in a close competition for the starting punting job.

The Twins are on course to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Concerns about the organization include the collective work of president Derek Falvey and his staff in being productive in trades, free agent signings and development of talent inside the organization.

A disturbing trend, for example, is young players who initially excel with the Twins in the big leagues but falter after rivals figure out strengths and weaknesses. The poster boy for that is Royce Lewis who a couple of years ago was a candidate for the face of baseball but since has declined dramatically in production.

Not only is his batting average a lowly .233 but his power is minimal with only eight home runs. Are Twins coaches effective in helping players like Lewis, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach and Austin Martin make adjustments?

Something else to ponder: why is Falvey not only president on the baseball side, but also leading business operations? Is that too much of a workload for one person?

With a run scored Friday night against the White Sox, Byron Buxton became the third player in Twins history to reach 500+ runs, 150+ home runs, 100+ stolen bases and 400+ RBI in a career with Minnesota. The others are Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter.

Minneapolis-based attorney Marshall Tanick wrote a timely and comprehensive article for the Minnesota Lawyer publication that details the late Hulk Hogan’s tie to Minnesota and litigation over the years involving professional wrestling. Tanick recounts litigation involving Hogan, Jesse Ventura and others as he takes on the “legal lore of wrestling in this state.”

The former sports editor of the Minnesota Daily is not only an attorney but a prolific journalist whose articles are seen frequently in various publications.

Happy birthday to football lifer and former Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill who turns 64 today.

Sending best wishes to former Golden Gophers basketball guard Melvin Newbern as he faces health challenges.

Tommies men’s basketball will play old MIAC rival Saint John’s on December 11 at the new UST Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Their last game was in 2021.

Phil Esten, UST vice president and director of athletics, told Sports Headliners earlier this month that public season tickets for men’s basketball have increased from about 200 to the 400 range as the Tommies get ready for their first season in the arena. Students are admitted free to the arena that will seat over 5,000 for basketball.

The Lindenwood (St. Charles, Missouri) football program that started Division I competition in 2022 plays at St. Thomas Thursday night in the opener for both teams. The Lions will play at Minnesota in 2027.

The MIAC league office reported the MIAC Sports Network has for two consecutive years streamed more than 1,000 conference events, generating more than one million uploads across all platforms. The network app can be found and installed free by searching MIAC Sports Network on various devices, or at https://miacsportsnetwork.com/

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Big Homecoming Looms for Cubs Slugger and Simley Alum

Posted on July 7, 2025July 7, 2025 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column.

Michael Busch, the Simley High School alum, will be in town starting tomorrow night with his Cub teammates for a three-game series at Target Field against the Twins. Busch, 27, is having a career year in his third MLB season and is on a torrid pace at the plate.

He recently finished fourth in All-Star Game balloting among NL first basemen, and he has nine hits in his last 12 at bats, raising his season average to .297 to go along with 18 home runs and 56 RBI. Among the MLB leaders in slugging percentage and OPS, he hit four home runs in a two-game span last week. In his last 30 games, he is hitting .365 with 11 home runs and 26 RBI.

Born in Inver Grove Heights, the 6-1, 210-pound left-handed hitter was drafted out of the University of North Carolina in 2019 by the Dodgers in the first round. The Dodgers sent Busch to the Cubs in a January 2024 trade after a rookie season in which he had only 72 at bats and hit .167.

The Cubs struck it right with the acquisition of Busch who last season hit .248 with 21 home runs. Manager Craig Counsell told the Cubs official website last week that Busch has “turned into a great offensive player.”

Busch, who has seven siblings and is the son of Mike and Judy Busch, captained baseball, hockey and football teams at Simley. The Interleague matchup means a rare road visit to Minneapolis by the Cubs who lead the NL Central Division with a 54-36 record.

July 7 Twins birthday club: former World Series outfielder Dan Gladden is 68; TV broadcaster Cory Provus is 47; and ex-broadcast voice John Gordon is 85.

A Sports Headliners reader offered this documentation on how bad Gopher men’s basketball has been compared to neighboring rivals Wisconsin and Iowa.

In the past 20 seasons:

Minnesota
Winning conference seasons: 1
NCAA Tournament wins: 2

Wisconsin
Winning conference seasons: 17
NCAA Tournament wins: 25

Iowa
Winning conference seasons: 9
NCAA Tournament wins: 4

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers July 17. Golf’s Zach Johnson, winner of two majors and captain of the 2023 American Ryder Cup team, addresses the group July 22 while in town for the annual 3M Open.

The 3M field includes defending champion Jhonattan Luis Vegas and 2022 titlist Tony Finau who has four top 10 career finishes in the tournament. Local names playing at the July 21-27 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine are Frankie Capan III (Stillwater), former Gopher Erik van Rooyen and PGA veteran Tom Hoge who is a Fargo native.

Looks like Wild GM Bill Guerin pulled off a savvy move by acquiring veteran winger and Russian native Vladimir Tarasenko from the Red Wings for future considerations. He turns 34 in December but is expected to help the Minnesota offense with his experience, playmaking and scoring. It doesn’t hurt that Tarasenko adds a second Russian teammate (along with Yakov Trenin) for Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov who the Wild hope will sign a contract extension this offseason.

Koi Perich, Anthony Smith and Darius Taylor, all underclassmen and receiving preseason recognition for honor teams from college football authorities, will represent the Golden Gophers at Big Ten Football Media Days later this month in Las Vegas, along with head coach P.J. Fleck. The Gophers will receive the media focus on July 23. The Big Ten Network will have live coverage of all 18 conference teams July 22, 23 and 24.

A belated happy birthday to former Golden Gophers trainer Jim Marshall who turned 95 on July 3.

Congratulations to legendary Minnesota prep coaches Brian Cosgriff and Larry McKenzie on their respective selections as National Coach of the Year for girls and boys basketball as recognized in June by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association.

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Twins Prolific Statue Builders, But Where’s Everybody Else?

Posted on May 8, 2025May 8, 2025 by David Shama

In April Joe Mauer became the eighth former Twin to have a statue commemorating his career. The Twins haven’t built a World Series champion in more than 30 years, but the organization is prolific in erecting statues at Target Field.

The eight bronze sculptures have been a nice gig for Minnesota-based artist Bill Mack whose Twins assignments include Rod Carew (April 2010), Harmon Killebrew (April 2010), Kirby Puckett (April 2010), Carl and Eloise Pohlad (October 2010), Tony Oliva (April 2011), Kent Hrbek (April 2012) and Tom Kelly (June 2017).

It seems to this sportswriter and historian that Mr. Mack could assist other local teams whose “statue cupboard” is collectively quite bare. Those organizations don’t have to adopt an “on steroids” statue building campaign but for starters they could consider the following suggested candidates:

The Vikings. Ah, yes, let’s start with the franchise that is more important to zealots than family, friends and perhaps their own welfare. With Adrian Peterson dogged by too many controversies, including a driving incident last month in Minnesota, it’s easier to clear the nominations field for other candidates.

Gracing the cement outside U.S. Bank Stadium should be a statue of Harry Peter Grant. Yes, Bud coached the Vikings to four Super Bowls, and while they all resulted in defeats, he remains atop the “Purple” coaching tree and is among the franchise’s most iconic figures. Are we forever to be outdone by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who unveiled a bronze statue of Bud years ago near their stadium?

Bud should be joined at U.S. Bank Stadium by a statue of the famed “Purple People Eaters” from his era as coach. The legendary defensive line scared the deuce out of opposing offenses for about a decade and consisted mostly of Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen.

At Target Center the legendary George Mikan, voted Mr. Basketball for the first half of the 20^th century, is remembered with a lobby statue recognizing both him and the five-time world champion Minneapolis Lakers. The successor to the Lakers franchise in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves, have done little to approach the greatness of Mikan and Company but that wasn’t the fault of Kevin Garnett.

The former Wolves power forward, who late in his career won an NBA title with the Celtics, was a first ballot Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer in the class of 2020. Fifteen times in his career he was named an NBA all-star. Playing for the Wolves, he was league MVP for the 2003-2004 season.

The other Target Center basketball team, the Lynx, has won four WNBA championships. Get Mr. Mack on speed-dial and task him with sculpting a five-person statue of the dynastic group of Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles and Lindsay Whalen. Fowles and Whalen are in the Hall of Fame, while Augustus and Moore will be inducted later this year.

Whalen, the Hutchinson native who led the Gophers to their 2004 historic Final Four, is deserving of a statue outside Williams Arena. Women’s basketball at Minnesota and the Whalen name are synonymous.

On the men’s side, immortality isn’t so clear cut.

The program has a controversial past marked by NCAA violations that have clouded glorious accomplishments and memories. The most accepted place to start, with buy-in from both fans and compliance-minded U administrators, would be a statue of the first three scholarship Black players at Minnesota. Lou Hudson, Archie Clark and Don Yates were marvelous recruits who made the 1964-65 Gophers among the best teams in America, finishing the season with a 19-5 and ranked No. 7 in the nation.

With its ageless “pride on ice” program mantra, Gopher men’s hockey has a long list of superb contributors to championships and other honors. The U Athletic Department should dig deep into its past, though, to honor two Minnesotans with bronze statues.

John Mayasich, who played for Minnesota from 1951-1955, is regarded as one of the greatest amateur players in the history of American hockey. Labeled the Wayne Gretzky of his time, Mayasich was a four-time All-American, and he remains the Gophers’ all-time leader in career goals (144) and points (298) in 111 games played.

The Gophers have won five NCAA men’s hockey national championships. The immortal Herb Brooks, the architect of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Miracle on Ice, coached three of those teams in his short tenure as Gopher coach. From 1972-1979 Brooks, a St. Paul native, dedicated his roster to using home grown talent and won national titles in 1974, 1976 and 1979.

The potential workload for Mr. Mack is growing and it only gets heavier with Gopher football. Huntington Bank Stadium is built on a fairly tight footprint but make way for these five statutes:

Bronko Nagurski is one of the most famous names in college football lore. In the latter 1920s he played tackle, fullback, defensive and offensive end, linebacker and even quarterback. A beast whose strength was way ahead of his day, he was named a consensus All-American in 1929 at two positions, tackle and fullback.

Bernie Bierman, the “Grey Eagle.” How can you not memoralize the coach of five national championship teams: 1934, 1935, 1936, and 1940 and 1941.

Bruce Smith. Can’t leave out the only Heisman Trophy winner in program history who was a great tailback on the 1941 national title team. And, oh yeah, Hollywood made a move about him: “Smith of Minnesota.” He was one of the stars, of course.

Bobby Bell, like Nagurski, could have been a great player at multiple positions. He settled for terrorizing opposing offenses as a defensive tackle on national title and Rose Bowl teams that went 22-6-1 from 1960-1962. He was the 1962 Outland Trophy recognizing the nation’s best interior lineman.

Greg Eslinger. Gotta include one person who played recently enough that most Gopher fans who are alive today saw him play. The most decorated offensive lineman in school history during a career that spanned from 2002-2005, the two-time All-American will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December.

A Herb Brooks statue is in place close to Xcel Energy Center, home of the Wild. Located at 317 Washington street, the statue is adjacent to the RiverCentre and Herbie’s on the Park, the restaurant where you can order a Moscow Mule—a favorite libation of the late Mr. Brooks. No other hockey statue is in the neighborhood and that’s understandable given the Wild’s fairly brief and modest history.

While Wild fans might dream of Stanley Cups and a storybook career for Kirill Kaprizov that could one day warrant a statue, the suggestion here is for the Wild to play a little politics. In search of funding to renovate the arena, including monies from the city of St. Paul, the Wild could honor former mayor Norm Coleman.

Without Coleman’s effort to build the arena and romance the NHL to put a team back in Minnesota to replace the North Stars, there would be no Wild. At least in St. Paul which was in competition with Minneapolis for an NHL team.

I remember a local magazine cover from more than 25 years ago with Coleman sitting at his desk, wearing ice skates on his feet and resting them on top of his desk. I will try to find the photo if Mr. Mack calls.

Build a statue for Norm at his arena.

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