Kirill Kaprizov missed practice Tuesday and, according to multiple league sources, there have been discussions between Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild management and doctors over the past few days over whether Kaprizov should undergo surgery this week for a lower-body injury that has been ailing him since mid-December.
Getting the issue fixed now, especially with the Wild having no games from Feb. 9 to 21 when the NHL will shut down for the 4 Nations Face-Off, may allow Kaprizov to return well in advance of the playoffs.
The right path forward was still being figured out Monday night, according to a team source, but multiple sources close to Kaprizov said surgery is the likeliest outcome. Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin is expected to address the media at 11 a.m.
The Wild, who beat the Blackhawks 4-2 on Sunday with Kaprizov in the lineup, depart Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon to continue their five-game trip to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Boston.
Kaprizov missed 12 games from Dec. 27 to Jan. 20 because of the lower-body issue. Originally considered day-to-day, he left town several times to see specialists during the stretch.
He skated hard for two weeks and returned Jan. 23 against Utah. In three games since, he has no goals, two assists, eight shots and is minus-2, and the Wild are 1-2. Kaprizov logged 22 minutes, 17 seconds in Sunday’s victory at Chicago.
He has still looked dangerous but has lacked the usual explosiveness with his skating.
Background on injury
Kaprizov was shut down coming out of the NHL’s holiday break with the lower-body injury. At the time, coach John Hynes said that Kaprizov was “banged up” heading into the holiday and “a little sore” but that there was no major concern. How long had it been lingering? “Not long,” Hynes said.
Guerin preached caution during Kaprizov’s rehab, noting the Wild would rather the Russian winger miss a few games in January and February than come back too soon and end up out long-term. It was a couple of weeks before Kaprizov began skating, and when he did, he skated mostly on his own or with other injured players. In the dozen games he missed, the Wild went 7-5.
When Kaprizov returned against Utah, he said it was tough to sit out but indicated he was good to go and had no limitations.
“Just something happened,” Kaprizov said. “I just don’t want to talk about this a lot. It’s now good.”
Kaprizov was asked if he thought this injury was something he wouldn’t have to worry about again. “Yeah,” he said. “Hope so.”
At the time of the injury, Kaprizov was a Hart Trophy front-runner and one of the top scorers in the league, with 23 goals and 50 points in 34 games.
“I just try don’t think about this,” Kaprizov said. “Now I’m just happy to come back. I don’t play one month. I don’t think about points or something like that. I just want to feel good in the game.”
How injury impacts lineup
There’s no replacing Kaprizov, the team’s lone superstar. But the Wild managed to play above .500 hockey without him, including big wins in Dallas, Carolina, Washington and Colorado. They typically put Matt Boldy on the top line with Mats Zuccarello and Marco Rossi. Boldy will be expected to help pick up the slack for a team that has struggled this season with secondary scoring.
The good news is that Joel Eriksson Ek has broken out of his scoring slump with goals in back-to-back games. There’s nobody in AHL Iowa who’s going to come up and offer an immediate injection into the top six, though rookie Liam Ohgren has taken strides in recent games, showing he can make plays.
The Wild are still without Marcus Johansson (concussion), too, although he is closing in on a return.
If Kaprizov undergoes surgery, league sources say he could miss around six weeks.
That limits Minnesota’s cap space at the March 7 deadline in a couple of ways. One: If he’s put on long-term injured reserve in order to afford call-ups, the team can’t keep accruing cap space daily. Two: Since the injury likely isn’t season-ending, the Wild will eventually have his $9 million cap hit back on the books. That means they can’t use the LTIR space for a deadline deal since they’d have to become cap-compliant when Kaprizov is back.
So they wouldn’t be able to use Kaprizov’s chunk of space to, let’s say, go after a J.T. Miller or Brock Nelson.
(Photo: Brad Rempel / USA Today)
Kaprizov has been a standout player for the Wild this season, leading the team in scoring and earning a spot in the All-Star Game. His absence from practice has raised questions about the severity of his injury and the potential impact on the team’s playoff hopes.
While the team has not officially confirmed the need for surgery, the speculation is causing anxiety among Wild fans. Kaprizov’s dynamic play and offensive prowess have been key factors in the team’s success this season, and losing him for any length of time would be a significant blow.
As more information becomes available, Wild fans will be eagerly awaiting updates on Kaprizov’s condition and hoping for a speedy recovery. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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