It was noted here at season’s end that if Wild wing Kirill Kaprizov doesn’t want to stay in Minnesota, there is nothing the team can do to keep him here.

We got the first substantial whiff of that on Wednesday, and it didn’t smell good.

According to reporter Frank Seravalli, an NHL insider who contributes to Bleacher Report, Kaprizov has turned down an eight-year contract extension, the league maximum, worth $16 million a year.

Quick summary: Kaprizov and his agent, Paul Theofanous — who is in the Twin Cities this week — just turned down the most lucrative deal in NHL history. So, the Wild didn’t lowball their star left wing, and he didn’t blink.

Yeah, it’s the opening salvo, and it’s assumed general Bill Guerin and team owner Craig Leipold have more in the bank vault they can Hoover i

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