Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Wednesday the team is continuing to negotiate with Kirill Kaprizov after a media report indicated the star winger turned down a record-setting deal. 

"My role as general manager is to protect our players," Guerin told the 10,000 Takes show. "I know two things. That info didn't come from us, and it didn't come from Kirill's agent. I don't know where it came from. Kirill's agent and I have a very good relationship. We're working through things. We're not going to let things like this get in the way."

Wild owner Craig Leipold said earlier this month he believed an extension with Kaprizov was close and added he was prepared to break the bank to keep the star winger in St. Paul.

"This will be a huge deal - likely the biggest in the NHL ever," he said. "There's no better human being or better hockey player or better person than Kirill. I think it will be a good conversation that we'll have with him. I'm very anxious and looking forward to that conversation. I think we'll move quickly after that."

Guerin reiterated Wednesday that the Wild want to keep Kaprizov in Minnesota as negotiations continue. 

"I don't want our market to go into an all-out panic mode here," Guerin said. "The most important thing to me is Kirill and not getting him put in a bad spot. We love him. He's a wonderful guy. He's an unbelievable player. And we want him."

Leon Draisaitl currently holds the title for the NHL's largest-ever contract after inking an eight-year, $112 million deal with the Edmonton Oilers last August, which kicks in this season. Draisaitl's carries a cap hit of $14 million under his deal, which also leads all players, ahead of Auston Matthews ($13.25 million) and Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million). 

Kaprizov recorded 25 goals and 56 points while being limited to just 41 games due to injury with the Wild last season. He added five goals and nine points in six playoff games against the Vegas Golden Knights as Minnesota's series win drought was extended to 10 years - a streak that includes eight postseason appearances. 

With 23 goals and 52 points in 37 games to start last season, the 28-year-old winger was considered a Hart Trophy candidate before suffering a lower-body injury. He topped the 40-goal mark in each of the previous three seasons, with a career-high 47 goals and 108 points in 2021-22. 

Kaprizov is entering the final season of a five-year, $45 million contract that carries a cap hit of $9 million. He is currently slated to hit unrestricted free agency next year. 

Drafted 135th overall by the Wild in 2015, Kaprizov has 185 goals and 386 points in 319 career games. 

Kaprizov won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021 after recording 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games. He also represented the Wild at the All-Star Game three times.