​Despite their reputation for being a tight-fisted organization, the Minnesota Twins etched baseball history on November 22, 1989, when star outfielder Kirby Puckett agreed to a three-year contract that made him the highest-paid player in the sport. The beaming slugger, who had already helped Minnesota win one World Series and would repeat that feat two years later, would earn $3 million per season through 1992, the richest deal ever inked at the time. Yet that distinction barely lasted a week, because on December 1 of that same year, Angels pitcher Mark Langston signed for $3.25 million per season. Puckett, who died in 2006 with two World Series rings and a later first-ballot Hall of Fame selection, never played a game as baseball’s highest-paid player.
Fast forwarding nearly a quarter-century, the financial landscape of Minnesota sports mirrored a similar surge in a different arena. It was 10 months ago, after fervent debate among the hungry Minnesota hockey fan base, that Kirill Kaprizov signed an eight-year contract worth $17 million annually starting this fall. On a late September afternoon, Kaprizov and general manager Bill Guerin met with media members at TRIA Rink to discuss the deal. “Are you excited?” Kaprizov was asked. But before Kaprizov could answer, Guerin interjected, “You’d better… be.” The brief exchange underscored the high expectations and the gravity of a deal that would shape Kaprizov’s standing in the NHL for years to come.
Kaprizov’s streak as the game’s highest-paid player lasted a little longer than Puckett’s, but the Wild star won’t play a game as the league’s top earner for long. Last week, following some offer-sheet theatrics by the Philadelphia Flyers, the Anaheim Ducks signed center Leo Carlsson to a five-year contract worth $18 million per season, guaranteed, through 2031. Earlier, in the prior winter, former Gophers defenseman Jackson LaCombe became the Ducks’ highest-paid player at the time, signing for $9 million per season. With the Wild hoping to re-sign star defenseman Quinn Hughes, analysts have floated the possibility of Minnesota paying him about $18 million per season on a three-year deal. If that occurs, Kaprizov would no longer be the highest-paid player on his own team.
Yet given the league’s rising salary cap, the era of $20 million per season for an individual player isn’t far off—perhaps a year or two away at most. Some observers even predict that Colorado’s star defenseman Cale Makar could land in the $18–$20 million range before September’s training camps begin. The rapid ascent of elite hockey salaries has been striking, underscoring the foresight Guerin demonstrated in locking up core players like defenseman Brock Faber and forward Matt Boldy on long-term contracts that now look reasonably priced in hindsight. Faber commands $8.5 million annually through 2033, while Boldy earns $7 million per year through 2030. Rumors persist that Detroit would like Boldy as part of a potential Dylan Larkin trade, and that the Wild have shown interest in New Jersey forward Jack Hughes.
As the salary landscape continues to expand, Minnesota’s front office has positioned the team to compete not just with today’s cap realities but with the near-future reality of record-breaking contracts. The confluence of rising salaries, strategic contract structuring, and bold moves to secure young talent has defined Guerin’s stewardship and reshaped expectations around what it means to be among the league’s best-paid players.